Higham said the store was about 3 percent higher in sales Friday than Black Friday 2007.

“It was the busiest first hour we’ve ever had,” said Higham. “We had savings coupons in the paper and that’s been a big draw.”

Kmart had about 300 people lined up when the store in Vernon Township opened at 6 a.m. Friday, said Chuck Schultz, store manager.

“That’s the biggest crowd we’ve had in my 11 years here,” said Schultz. “It was a big day.”

Electronics and toys were big movers at the store, he said.

“People were shopping for their kids,” he said. “They’ll buy for their kids first and skimp on themselves.”

Kim Whitehead, manager of City Limits, a clothing store and tanning shop at Meadville’s Downtown Mall, recently said her store’s sales this November have stayed pretty much the same as last year, even though the economy was better in 2007.

That store kicked off a three-day, storewide 20-percent-off sale on Friday. Making an extra effort to maintain its current sales momentum, an e-mailing campaign that offers coupons and alerts customers to clearances and other sales was recently started, according to Whitehead.

“That’s how you’ve got to move (the merchandise) out,” she said.

While it isn’t a predictor of holiday sales, the day after Thanksgiving is an important barometer of people’s willingness to spend for the rest of the season. Particularly this year, analysts will dissect how the economy is shaping buying habits in a season that many analysts predict could see a contraction in spending from a year ago.