This story was compiled by Teresa F. Lindeman with additional reporting by Ann Belser, Samantha Bennett, Gretchen McKay, Margi Shrum, Anya Sostek and Deborah M. Todd.

Shoppers and retailers met with a resounding crash in the dark hours yesterday as powerful economic forces drove a wave of Black Friday promotions and a crowd of consumers seeking to save money on hot products.

Lines like the one outside a Best Buy store in Cranberry that had more than 100 people by 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and stretched past 600 by the 5 a.m. opening showed the tenacity of customers chasing deals.

Yet, having dragged themselves out of bed early, more than a few shoppers around the region ran into issues with long waits at the checkout or deals that were cleared out before they could grab them. Some cut their trips short and went home.

Those who track the retail sector's role in the economy will watch to see how the entire weekend plays out, not just the day after Thanksgiving, unofficially known as Black Friday. The nickname historically refers to the day retailers who might have been in the red, or losing money, moved into the black because they started making a profit.

A three-day weekend of intensive days of mall shopping followed by what could be one of the biggest online shopping days of the year on Monday may offer clues as to consumers' mood.

Even then, early results may not be conclusive. Promotions offered now may be effective in opening wallets, but it's not unusual for consumers to pull back and wait until prices start dropping again closer to Christmas. Typically, the busiest shopping day of the year tends to come just before Christmas, as even procrastinators are forced to make the deadline.

Rising fuel and food prices, a tightening housing market and credit concerns have all pinched consumers this year, leading the National Retail Federation to predict that sales will rise 4 percent over last year's holiday season, the slowest rate of growth in five years.

Those economic issues, combined with concerns over a rash of recalled products and the nation's direction, set the stage for a "perfect storm" for retailers, said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group, a consumer behavior research firm in Charleston, S.C.

Tracking electronics deals

Jatta Bluefort of Homestead arrived at Wal-Mart in West Mifflin at 3:30 a.m. in hopes of being first in line for a Nintendo Wii game console, only to be told at 5 a.m. when the store opened that it was out of stock.

Fortunately, she tried another store at 6:30 a.m., landing the first of just 15 of the game systems there. "I had to go to GameStop, but I came home with the Wii."

Nationally, many of the best promotions yesterday were on consumer electronics, according to the retail federation, which also listed jewelry, clothing and toys as hot categories.

Among the most sought-after deals at the Best Buy in Cranberry were a Toshiba laptop computer advertised on television for $229 and a 42-inch Panasonic plasma TV for $900.

Snagging one of the coveted laptops was Danny Butchko, a 17-year-old high school junior from Ambridge who was 45th in line. He had come with a friend, Jim Beck, 15, the night before at 7 p.m. "I got off work and came here and just chilled," he said.

Debbie Parker, 51, of Penn Hills, had four hours left before she had to be at work at the post office when she arrived at 4 a.m. at J.C. Penney at Monroeville Mall to get a kids' digital video camera. The store didn't have any, but the store manager was taking names and promising to call when the item came in.

Down the mall at Radio Shack, a Zune MP3 player that normally sells for $149 was advertised at $99. Jackie Geyer, 42, of East Pittsburgh, was in line with her sister, Anita Esposto, 49, of East Pittsburgh, at 5:40 a.m.

Twenty minutes later, they walked out without the item. The store had just one. It was a two-day sale and there were no rain checks. The salesman didn't expect more to come in. Mrs. Esposto was indignant. "It's on sale until tomorrow at 9 and they have one?"

Lining up

For Ashley Hughes of Beaver, the rush started even before Thanksgiving dinner had been digested at her mother's house in Evans City. She and her sister, Jessica Schoeffel, were first in line at the Toys "R" Us in Cranberry, having arrived at the brightly lit store off Route 19 at about 1:30 a.m.

By the time it opened at 5 a.m., there were more than 400 people waiting behind them.

"Quite a few people were driving by, honking and waving, letting us know how crazy we were," said Ms. Hughes, laughing. The sisters walked away with three Guitar Hero wireless guitars, one of the season's hot toys, for $39.99 (regular $60).

Also first in line at the register, they spent less than 10 minutes in the store, or about half the time it took weary shoppers behind them just to file in.

Allen York, in town visiting his in-laws in Spring Hill, wasn't so fortunate. Having stopped at 1:30 a.m. at Wal-Mart with his wife and mother-in-law, he didn't get in line at the toy store until almost 3:30 a.m., which put the Fort Bragg, N.C., resident about halfway back when the store opened.

It took the group only about a half-hour to fill three shopping carts with toys for the couple's 6-year-old daughter and 21-month-old son, but the wait to check out took twice that long.

Around the corner at Best Buy, some of the people who assembled Thursday evening brought propane heaters and PlayStation games to keep their minds off the freezing weather.

When the doors opened at 5 a.m., the throng of shoppers quickly filled the store to near capacity, and entry had to be restricted. As 10 customers exited, 10 more were let in by a stern-faced security guard. "We wanted to keep it safe," said manager Frank Gales.

Changing the store clocks

Eric Weatherly of Dormont left the house at 4:30 a.m. for his first Black Friday, successfully securing a car GPS unit from the Best Buy in North Fayette at a savings of more the $100 from the normal price.

"For the money you save, it's worth it, but I don't know why they don't do it from 7 to 9. It seems hard on the employees."

He may have a point. Mr. Beemer, who had several people around the country reporting in on shopping activity yesterday, is watching to see if moving store hours earlier and earlier ends up overloading morning crews while leaving the evening staff with little to do as exhausted customers go home.

"The question I'm trying to figure out is how big will the crowds be for 2 to 4 p.m.," the consultant said. Many retailers also are trying to get by with smaller staffs. Mr. Beemer heard reports of customers who couldn't find someone to help them, so they couldn't get the deals and ended up leaving empty-handed.

He said many retailers who lured consumers into forming long lines hadn't handed out coffee or done other things to make waits more comfortable, missing an opportunity to build a relationship with shoppers.

No carts at Kohl's

The parking lot at Kohl's in Robinson was full even as the doors opened at 4 a.m. By 4:05 a.m., customers were leaving with oversized bags.

Lisa Phillips of Weirton had gotten up at 3:20 a.m. to get there before 5 a.m. Once she and her family arrived, the store was so choked with people they moved on to Sears. "[Kohl's] had the best sales by far but it wasn't worth fighting the people for," she said.

In some cases, it was impossible to navigate the store with a cart -- and those were at a premium. Customers dragged carpet cleaners, comforters and mixers down the aisles in lines that took an hour or more to snake from the front of the store, to the back, to the front cash register again.

A few skirmishes broke out, and one clerk got an earful from a customer who was upset that a line had broken in two, seemingly giving some an advantage.

Overall, customers were pleasant to one another, as were store personnel, who soothed customers, dealt with dozens of discarded cardboard coffee cups and the inevitable breakage.

Ms. Phillips hadn't been shopping for anything specific. "We just kind of go to get out of the house -- and to laugh," she said.

Speed bumps for gas, toys

It's hard enough to compete in the retail business without watching gasoline prices rise at a time of year when they typically fall. News about major toy recalls, including a number of the imported goods that dominate most stores' offerings, gave merchants another reason not to sleep at night.

Those rising fuel costs pinch. "I think that's one of the reasons we're trying to do everything at once," said Susan Birch, a Hampton resident and retired teacher who was wandering around the Ross Park Mall parking lot at 9 a.m. She and her daughter had been out since 4:30 a.m., which may have been one reason she couldn't remember which aisle she parked in.

"I think people are going to cut back on how much they spend," said Ms. Birch.

Ryan Stackhouse made the 40-minute drive from Wintersville, Ohio, to arrive at the North Fayette Best Buy before it opened at 5 a.m. and picked up a Garmin car GPS system that normally sold for about $300 on sale for $180.

High gas prices likely would cut short his family's annual Black Friday shopping expedition, he said. "We usually go to Ross Park, too, but we're probably not going to go today."

Toy shoppers, meanwhile, had different views on how recalls might affect their choices. Stephanie Franks of Shaler was pleased to see stores posting information on recalled items and felt the dangerous items had been taken off shelves.

But Tina and Doug Black of North Canton, Ohio, were not buying certain children's toys, namely those from companies that had been affected by lead paint recalls.

"Last year, it was Diego this, Dora that. It was all Fisher-Price," said Ms. Black, who has two daughters, ages 4 and 6. "This year, we bought nothing from them."

"We wanted to send a message," said her husband, Doug Black.

In search of peace

Nancy Thompson and her niece, Kara Agens, who went Downtown to shop at Saks Fifth Avenue, wanted to send a message, too. Mrs. Agens lives in the North Hills, and her aunt, a Pittsburgh native, was visiting for the holiday from South Carolina.

"We made a conscious decision to come Downtown because we hate malls," Ms. Thompson said. "They're too crowded, with too much stuff piled up and long lines."

Indeed, parking lots at many of the region's malls were full enough in the morning to push shoppers into the outside spaces that sit empty much of the year.

At the Prime Outlets mall in Grove City, traffic counters tallied 5,300 cars at 2 a.m., said mall spokeswoman Michele Czerwinski. The mall, which last year caused massive traffic problems on Interstate 79 with an unusual midnight opening, added more spaces and used shuttles from auxiliary lots to avoid the same problems this year.

Brian and Jen Abbott drove in from Bellevue to shop the children's department at the Downtown Macy's with their two babies. They took advantage of free parking in some city garages to avoid the crush at the malls.

"It's gotta be much worse there than it is here," Mrs. Abbott said. The former Kaufmann's flagship store was busy enough to have lines at some registers.

On the store's fourth floor, two men sat patiently in comfortable armchairs. Rich Margie of Perryopolis had a collection of shopping bags between his feet.

Any great deals?

"I don't know," he said. He was there primarily to carry gifts to the car. "I bring my wife and her sisters down every year."

Next to him sat William Fuller, a retiree from Homewood.

"I like to bring my wife down and let her have fun," he said, good-naturedly.

The two men, who had never met, sat enjoying a common bond, as they put it: A profound appreciation of comfortable chairs.