A slumping economy, a rollercoaster stock market and rising unemployment should combine for a lackluster — or worse — holiday shopping season.

Not so fast.

Local retailers said the shopping season got off to a surprising start on Friday, dubbed Black Friday because it is historically the salespacked day when retailers would become profitable for the year. While Black Friday isn't a predictor of overall sales, it's an important barometer of people's willingness to spend during the holidays.

By midnight Thursday, the parking lots at Prime Outlets — Gaffney were filling. Those were the shoppers lucky enough to have already arrived for their shopathons.

Other shoppers were ensnarled in bumper-to-bumper traffic that stretched to the Freightliner plant on Hwy. 105 and extended for at least a mile on the northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 85.

This marked the third year for the mall's "Midnight Madness."

"Most merchants reported sales even or better than last year," outlet mall manager Patricia Byrd said. "The (stores) which did better than last year were ecstatic because with the economy, they were just hoping to break even."

The first 500 pajamawearing shoppers to visit the tent located outside Bose Factory Store at midnight received a goodie bag filled with exclusive offers and even a special edition pair of Jockey pajamas. Five lucky pajama-wearing shoppers received a $100 gift card.

"It was a huge success," Byrd said.

The stores offering "doorbusters" from giveaways to coupons seem to do better, according to Byrd.

"The stores that had the good specials had a good night," she said.

It was no Scrooge-like start for Belk at Peachtree Marketplace, either.

Belk manager Jim Tyler said he was greeted by a throng of bargain hunters armed with lists and coupons when he opened the doors at 5 a.m.

"There was between 200 to 250 people," Tyler said. "Sales were up and traffic was up. We had a lot of early bird specials and doorbusters."

Big Lots manager Anna Hardin said her cash registers got a workout Friday as shoppers tried to stretch money as far as possible.

"We had a great day," she said. "Everybody was talking about how the economy is down, so I was really surprised."

Wal-Mart manager Andrew Williams also was all smiles after totaling up Friday's sales figures.

"We did really well," Williams said. "The parking lot was pretty well full (at 5 a.m.)."

Williams said electronics items and toys were popular sellers.

The National Retail Federation predicts holiday sales overall will rise 2.2 percent, the slowest growth since 2002.