"We're opening the doors, have a great day everyone!" 

That was the combination warning and pep talk announced over the loudspeaker at Kohl's in Kingstowne at 2:59 a.m. Friday.  Soon after, the floodgates opened and the line of several hundred people who had been patiently waiting outside poured in.

"There's nothing better to do at midnight and I'm a night owl," said Angelene Lockwood, who had a spot near the very front of the Kohl's line.  She was in the market for toys and kitchen items on Black Friday.

Angelene and her bargain hunting neighbors agreed there was definitely some camaraderie that grew between shoppers when they braved the elements together for a good deal.  And they said the deals at Kohl's were good enough to get them out of bed before 1 a.m., especially those holiday toys.

"Nerf, Littlest Pet Shop, anything really, whatever is on sale," said Isabel de los Santos, also at the head of the Kohl's line.  "It's not raining and it's not freezing, so we're good.  And if we get a deal, that's awesome."

The lines Thursday night and early Friday morning were full of parents and grandparents, but the younger generation also got in on the action.

 "It's sort of fun, but a little cold," said 11-year-old Lissette Morrobel.  "This is our first Black Friday and we've met a lot of new people."

Kohl's employees were definitely ready for the onslaught of customers and were not surprised by the early lines at their door.

"It's because of the sales," said assistant manager Aaron Tremayne Burrill.  "You get great deals on Black Friday, that's why everybody comes and stands in line."

And coping with that kind of a crowd took very careful planning and preparation.

"Basically right now it's all hands on deck," Burill said. "The first person got here today with me at 1:30."

Have you heard of Sing-a-ma-jigs and Squinkies?  Black Friday shoppers at the Kingstowne Toys "R" Us had, and they were scooping them up left and right. 

Employees at Toys "R" Us say when they opened their doors at 10 p.m. Thursday, more than 600 bargain hunters from the Fairfax County area had already lined up.  The store was handing out tickets for special holiday themed Squinkies, tiny collectible figurines that come in their own bubble, but those were long gone by 3 a.m. Friday.  They still had regular Squinkies in stock, as well as the bizarrely funny, harmonizing Sing-a-ma-jigs.  Both toys are wildly popular this holiday season.

Some stores like WalMart never closed Thursday night and started the Black Friday bargains at midnight.  WalMart had to put up temporary fences and post law enforcement around the store to keep things running smoothly.  Despite their precautions, employees say most shoppers behaved well.