LANSING -- They arrived as early as Wednesday, waited in the snow and freezing cold temperatures -- All for a shot to be first in line for Black Friday deals.

It's the biggest shopping day of the year. The Target in South Lansing saw lines forming at 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving

"It's worth it. It's worth it," said one woman who had come with her daughter for a deal on a big screen TV.

Best Buy and Walmart? Folks showed up there Wednesday afternoon.

"Got a sleeping bag in there," said one man as he motioned toward the tent he had pitched outside of Best Buy. "So I stay pretty warm."

Some are downsizing their shopping this year to discounts on the bare necessities; others are still in the running for the more traditional black friday items.

"The 32" Westinghouse," says Target manager Jamie Harrison as she points out the store's hottest items this season. "The GPS's are pretty big right now; a lot of people were looking for the portable DVD players. As for toys, we had a vanity, a Disney vanity."

And it's not just the shoppers making bargains here Friday. Retailers across the country are reaping the benefits of the extravaganza, too.

"We're expecting about a week's worth of sales," Harrison says.

She had about 125 employees on staff Friday and says this one location is due to rake in about $350,000 in sales in a single day.

"Of course, we hope that December will be this lucrative," Harrison says. "But this will probably be the biggest day for us."

Nothing like Black Friday to pull retailers out of the red.