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Francine Lingenhoel's planning for Black Friday began Thanksgiving evening while she was digesting her pumpkin pie.

With the table cleared, the Shaler woman spread out the circular-stuffed Thursday editions of newspapers and plotted her attack.

She said Friday that she got plenty of bargains -- a sentiment reinforced by the National Retail Federation: Post-Thanksgiving discounting was at its highest level ever.

Across the region, the bitter cold proved no match for the urge to obtain merchandise early Black Friday -- so named because the holiday season traditionally propels retailers from being in the red to the black. Wall Street anticipated strong sales, with markets closing higher for the seventh consecutive day.

Lingenhoel's mission began with the 5 a.m. opening of Kohl's on McKnight Road in Ross.

With her father in tow, she continued along McKnight to Kmart and Jo-Ann Fabrics. After dropping off the first load of purchases -- and her exhausted father -- at home, Lingenhoel went back to Kohl's after talking with her mother by cell phone.

Her mother, scouting the Target a few miles north, reported that the Emerson microwave at Kohl's -- on special until 1 p.m. at $33.99 -- was a better deal than a similar model at Target.

"I'm done," Lingenhoel declared in the Kohl's parking lot at 11:30 a.m.

The Westmoreland Mall was busier early in the morning than in past years, said Marketing Manager Dawn Gnieski.

Although the mall required that stores be open by 7 a.m., about 15 of them opened an hour or two earlier.

"I think it was a very brisk day. The parking lot was 90 percent full by 7 a.m.," Gnieski said.

Terri Todek left New Salem, Fayette County, at 3:30 a.m. for the 40-mile trip to Westmoreland Mall, Best Buy and Wal-Mart, all in Hempfield.

"It was a madhouse," Todek said of Wal-Mart's 4 a.m. opening. She finished shopping there in time to get in line for the 6 a.m. opening at Best Buy.

Todek, accompanied by her daughter and two nieces, said she expected to continue shopping until sunset. She planned to spend about the same amount of money as last year -- a sentiment others echoed.

At Circuit City on McKnight Road, the line began forming around midnight. One of the lures: $199 laptop computers, after rebate.

The computers were gone within minutes of the 5 a.m. opening, said a salesman identifying himself only as Mike.

Once inside, customers jockeyed for position around a $4.99 DVD bin.

In the video-game section, loud bursts of machine-gun fire from "Call of Duty 2" on the new Xbox 360 game console clashed with the din of piped-in Christmas carols.

The consoles for purchase had disappeared from shelves Tuesday -- the day they arrived.

At Dick's Sporting Goods, shoppers were drawn by items that included a 150-piece, deluxe poker-chip set in a silver-metallic case -- on special until 1 p.m. for $29.98, marked down from $129.99.

Mark Stueber, of the North Side, grabbed one of the few remaining sets around 10 a.m.

By his account, the poker-chip set was his second coup of the morning. Steuber said that earlier yesterday he nabbed one of the last remaining back-seat-mounting DVD players for a car for $70, after rebate, at Pep Boys.

Many stores offered incentives tied to spending levels:

= At Dick's, the first 300 shoppers to spend at least $150 received a $25 GetGo gift card.

= At Kohl's, shoppers earned $10 in store credit for every $50 spent.

Anna Mae Caracciolo, of McCandless, clutching Under Armor athletic gear at Dick's, said the day's deals did not disappoint.

"Did you see Thursday's paper? It was unbelievable!" she said.

Her day began at Macy's at Ross Park Mall, where most merchandise was discounted. In addition, she used a 25-percent-off, early-bird coupon.

"I'm pretty well done," she said.

Michelle Ferace, of Hempfield, Westmoreland County, weighed down by shopping bags at Westmoreland Mall, also was ready to declare victory in her quest to finish holiday shopping in one day.

With her husband at home with their children, ages 1 and 2, Ferace began the day at Wal-Mart with her mother, Josephine Rabic, of South Greensburg.

"That's my goal. To get (holiday shopping) done with no kids around," she said, before gathering up her bags for one final assault.

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