Hold-Back Friday

But Sakala, who lives in Pennsylvania and was visiting family in Montgomery County, was not done. He came back in the afternoon for more DVDs.

"I wanted to see what they had left," he said.

Several retailers reported consumer electronics as the hottest category of the day. Target spokeswoman Lena Michaud said early reports from stores showed customers clamoring for a 37-inch flat panel TV for $549 and an eight-megapixel Kodak digital camera marked down from $149.99 to $89. At some locations, as many as 800 people lined up before the stores opened. At a Target in Rockville, customers tried sneaking in behind employees arriving for work about 4:30 a.m.

"There were mobs of people everywhere," said Stephanie Hopkins, a camera saleswoman. "It was crazy."

Even at Toys R Us, chief executive Gerald L. Storch said "anything robotic" was flying off shelves. Among yesterday's most popular items were Nintendo's Wii video game console, the video game Guitar Hero 3 and the Zune music player. The chain began planning yesterday's aggressive events last year, offering 101 featured discounts -- four times more than last holiday season.

"We wanted to make sure our customers understand just how many toys we have," Storch said. "We are the toy authority."

Terry Lundgren, chief executive of Macy's, said the line to get inside the flagship store at Herald Square in New York was so long that he opened the doors half an hour early, at 5:30 a.m. The crowds were lured by the discounts, but sales of luxury goods such as cashmere were also strong, he said.

"It's both of those different categories that are selling," Lundgren said. "I'm encouraged by what's happening so far."

At the store at Metro Center in the District, Andrea Lowery, 35, of Fort Washington tried to fit in some holiday shopping on her lunch break. She bought a pair of black boots marked down to $61 from $89.99, then went to help her friend Sonya Briscoe, 43, of Mount Rainier find a scarf, hats and coats. Both women said they were planning to cut back their spending this year, particularly because of gas prices.

"Everything has gone up," Lowery said.

Price wasn't a consideration for everyone, however. Holly Bodner, 22, traveled with her mother, Joanne, from their home in Norfolk to Tysons Galleria. They stopped at Burberry to buy a long wool coat for Holly and planned to hit Betsey Johnson and Neiman Marcus before the day was over. Holly said she rarely has a chance to visit those stores, so she wasn't worried about bargains.

"We came here to shop," she said. The discounts "are not really a factor."

Sandy Jennings and her son Jack, 6, traveled all the way from the Bahamas to visit relatives in Alexandria and were eager to hit the stores on Black Friday to pick up items they can't get at home. At Toys R Us they found the toy Jack wanted most, a white Tekno robotic puppy for $69.99. Jennings said she planned to limit the family's holiday spending to about $500.

"We are cutting back because of the uncertainty of the economy," she said. "We're buying less presents for each other and trying to be more practical about what we give." The robotic puppy was to be Jack's main present.

"I'm also trying to teach him that Christmas isn't just about getting tons of presents," she said.

"I know that already, Mom," Jack said.

Staff writers Michael S. Rosenwald and Annys Shin contributed to this report.