Parking lots at Pearlridge Center and Ala Moana Center were jammed as early as 4 a.m. as customers stood in line for 5 a.m. store openings, hoping to be among the few to get discounted specials.

The term Black Friday refers to the day after Thanksgiving when retailers traditionally go from being "in the red" to being "in the black" — or profitable, according to the National Retail Federation.

At the K B Toys store at Ala Moana, Dana Balansag of Nu'uanu and her sister Gerri Nakasone of Mililani got in line at 5:30 a.m., where store managers were controlling the number of people they let inside.

A couple of hours and $300 later, Nakasone stood on the sidewalk outside K B Toys and stared at her sister's oversized bags stuffed with purchases.