What made so many people rise from the comfort of their beds in the predawn moonlight to fight monstrous crowds for a chance at a $9.99 Easy-Bake Oven?

It's not just the bargains, said Velma Okumura of Waipi'o. It's the thrill.

She arrived outside Toys "R" Us at 4:15 a.m. and found at least 100 people in line ahead of her.

But this day-after-Thanksgiving veteran shopper came with a strategy.

Three-year-old Tatiana Mamea happily waits in her grandmother's cart. They both arrived early yesterday at Pearlridge Toys "R" Us. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

All cell phones were on.

"We're on the phone asking, 'OK, what you got?' " said Okumura, a 55-year-old American Savings Bank employee.

And she came prepared with snacks and juice for her two grandchildren, both in tow.

"I like the crowd," she admitted with a smile. "It's exciting."

Okumura was one of thousands waiting in lines at malls throughout Hawai'i yesterday morning, hoping to snag deals on the shopping day known as Black Friday, when retailers hope sales push them into the black of profitability.

Nationwide sales aren't expected to be as strong as last season, when retailers posted a 5.1 percent increase in sales after a particularly weak 2002 season. Shoppers spent a record $7.3 billion on Black Friday 2003, making it the busiest sales day of the year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, a retail industry group.

This year sales for November and December are expected to rise 4.5 percent from the same period last year, with luxury stores profiting the most.

In Hawai'i, where the economy has been chugging along at a faster clip than on the Mainland, malls are hoping to do well.

"A majority of stores have been doing exceptionally well for the past three quarters," said Dwight Yoshimura, Ala Moana Center's general manager. "That indicates to me that everyone will be busy."

He predicts sales at the state's largest mall will post high single-digit gains this holiday season. Sales are already 10 percent ahead of last year and have surpassed the $1 billion mark.

On Maui, it was "mission accomplished" for Lori Fong of Kahului, who braved three hours at Ka'ahumanu Center to purchase a $5.99 portable CD player from Sears for her grandson. Fong arrived at the mall at 9 a.m. with 5-year-old granddaughter, Kamryn Perry, in tow.

"There's no way I was going come at 5 a.m.," said Fong, who had gotten a heads-up about the shopping mob from her daughter, who had been there earlier in the morning.

By noon, the crowds at Maui's biggest mall had thinned somewhat, but parking was still scarce. The feverish pace of spending apparently was taking a toll on stressed-out shoppers. Maui Massage Co., which sets up two massage chairs near the shopping center stage every Friday and Saturday, reported 14 customers in a two-hour period.

"That's more than usual," said massage therapist Adam Falb. "One guy said to me, 'I desperately need a massage. My kids are spending too much of my money.' "

Jonathan Kim, general manager of Windward Mall on Oahu, said the mall should post higher holiday sales than last year.

"It seems like the economy has been up," he said. "So anticipation is great."

Electronics are expected to be hot sellers this Christmas, with electronic retailers posting the largest third-quarter gains in earnings growth, up 55 percent, according to RetailMetrics.

That was evident at Circuit City in Pearlridge Center yesterday. By 6 a.m. the line stretched from the entrance, through the parking lot and past the Monterey Bay Canners restaurant. Security estimated nearly 3,000 people, most prepared for the long wait with folding chairs, snacks and large cups of coffee.

Chantelle Lee, Natasha Tsuji and Janelle Corpuz were the first ones in the Circuit City line, arriving at 9:30 the night before — sleeping bags and all.

All three 18-year-olds had something specific to buy: Lee needed a 27-inch TV, Tsuji had to have a laptop, and Corpuz wanted a digital camera.

"My parents think we're crazy," Tsuji said. "It's just so surreal that we're here."

Darrin Lee got to CompUSA at 2:30 a.m. — he was 10th in line — to snag a laptop for about $500 and a pack of rewritable DVDs.

"It's worth it," said Lee, a 26-year-old from Liliha, who came with two buddies. "And it was fun."

For the most part, everything went smoothly.

Though the crowd outside Toys "R" Us had been waiting for hours, there wasn't any pushing or shoving inside. Manager Ron Bercaw allowed only about two dozen shoppers to enter at a time, letting people find what they were looking for without the stress of racing through every aisle just to beat the crowd.

And when the store ran out of shopping carts at 5:30 a.m., Bercaw didn't flinch. He cheerfully handed out extra-large plastic garbage bags to the cart-less customers. "Go ahead and have fun," he told them.

It wasn't as smooth at Sears Ala Moana, which opened at 6 a.m. to computer problems. Lines at the checkout snaked through the store, confusing — and frustrating — customers. Some waited more than an hour to pay for their items.

On the opposite end of Ala Moana Center, shoppers were relieved to find the Macy's store relatively uncrowded and less frenzied than K B Toys downstairs, which opened at 5 a.m.

Lori Inouye casually browsed through the women's apparel department at Macy's yesterday. She got to the mall at 5:45 a.m. — 15 minutes before Macy's opened — and shopped without much holiday stress. She had bought bed sheets and ornaments so far. All on sale.

"I'm more selective this year," said the 37-year-old mother of two from Kane'ohe. "I'm trying to find the bargains, but last year was better."

Last year, Inouye stood in line at K B Toys at 5 a.m., hoping to catch some day-after-Thanksgiving deals on gifts for her two sons. This year she's doing more shopping online.

Wal-Mart, which advertised bargains starting at 6 a.m., opened its doors at midnight, with eager shoppers waiting to "scan the items" beforehand.

Rosaline Takata and friend Linda Lee, along with her 16-year-old daughter Rachel, walked into Wal-Mart on Ke'eaumoku Street just before 1 a.m., coming straight from a Thanksgiving dinner in Kalihi.

They bought 20-pound bags of rice, cases of dried ramen and Christmas decorations. And at 3:30 a.m. they were only beginning.

"It's fun, it's exciting," said Takata, a 50-year-old at-home mother of two. "It's the start of the shopping craze."

After some coffee, they'd keep shopping "until my legs can't carry me," Takata said, laughing.

This annual shopping adventure has become a tradition for these three. And they love every minute of it.

"It's fun to watch everybody else do it, racing for items," said Lee, 48, of 'Ewa Beach. "It's all at a really good price. This is the day everyone should be shopping."