Long lines of shoppers wrapped around the outside of Denton stores in the wee morning hours Friday, jockeying for position to buy Christmas gifts at bargain prices.

Once inside, said Denton resident Robert Hollander, people started shoving each other with elbows, snatching up videogames and otherwise behaving childishly.

Another shopper almost rammed Hollander, a 6-foot-7-inch man, with her shopping cart because she wasn’t paying attention, he said.

DRC/Candace Carlisle

Shoppers crowd into the Best Buy on Loop 288, which opened its doors at 5 a.m. Friday.

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This was Hollander’s first Black Friday and, while it probably won’t be his last, he wonders if the deals are worth it.

“It’s not worth it now, with how people act,” he said. “It’s real bad out there.”

The deals, which some people marked in advertising circulars they carried as they shopped, brought them out at an atrocious hour, they said.

A few young shoppers said this was the first time they’d ever seen the sun still tucked beyond the horizon.

Overall, Denton retailers said they were impressed by the lines formed by shoppers and were hopeful Black Friday would be a profitable retail holiday.

National holiday-related shopping is expected to decrease 3.2 percent compared to last year, but bargain shoppers still will be out in force, according to an annual survey by the National Retail Federation.

In Denton, store parking lots were filled Friday morning, forcing some customers to drive to nearby lots for parking. Checkout lines backed up into shopping aisles.

While some shoppers said they despised the long lines and crowds, for many the day-after-Thanksgiving sales ring in the Christmas holiday.

Shopping among excited community members usually brings out the Christmas cheer, said Leslie Parker, a regular Black Friday shopper.

Parker started the day at 4 a.m. among shoppers fueled by caffeine and fast food, some still wearing their pajamas hours later.

“It’s a fun time with all the excitement around,” Parker said. “I have 13 great-grandchildren and I have to shop for the bargains.”

The Denton resident said she rarely sees fights over specific items, but it can happen.

When Cabbage Patch dolls were popular, she said, she saw one woman hit another woman with her fist.

“I’m too polite to fight … it’s more fun to let them [the items] go,” Parker said.

The SuperTarget in Denton opened at 5 a.m., an hour earlier than last year, and had a long line of shoppers waiting to get inside, said Jimmy Frideley, a store team leader.

“We had some really strong price points in our ad … and people are looking to get more for their money,” Frideley said. “We had a little more people than we anticipated, and I think it went well.”

While Cathy Champ has cut back on personal spending since the recession, she said, the holidays are a time to sacrifice for loved ones, and big savings on those gifts brought her out early Friday.

When she ventured out at 4 a.m. to purchase her husband’s Christmas gift, which is to remain a secret for now, there were only five of them left in the store, Champ said.

“I was surprised how crowded it was,” she said.

CANDACE CARLISLE can be reached at 940-566-6889. Her e-mail address is ccarlisle@dentonrc.com.