"We fell about $9,000 short of our goal," said Colin Mitchell, assistant manager of the KB Toys store, which opened at midnight for the first time. "Things started strong, but then around 6 p.m., it just died."

The store sold out of a lot of merchandise, including a popular Nerf gun and Incredible Hulk hands, but it was not enough.

"We got an e-mail from the regional office (Saturday) that said sales were 'very disappointing' and that we'd have to try to make up for it this weekend somehow," Mitchell said. "But with the economy being bad, there's only so much we can do."

Early morning lines at Best Buy in Stafford Township, Ocean County, were shorter than expected, according to the store's manager Mark Janezic, but shopping throughout the day was steadier than anticipated.

"The store is less than 6 months old, so we don't really have anything to compare our (Black Friday) sales to," Janezic said. "Shopping was pretty strong all day, then it died off around 7 p.m. But all things considered, it was a success."

Janezic said the sales that Best Buy and other major retailers offered were less aggressive than in years past.

"Overall, it was a little tuned-down and it definitely due to the economy," he said.

Exact sales figures for Cumberland Mall in Vineland will not be available for a few weeks, but mall marketing director Maria Umbriac said the mall's traffic and sales were on par with expectations.

"From the crowds and the consistent buzz we had at the mall all day, I'd say our retailers, who planned accordingly for the slight decrease in consumer spending, met their goals," Umbriac said via e-mail.

The day after a Long Island Wal-Mart worker was trampled to death in a Black Friday opening rush, no major incidents were reported at area stores.

"Our customers were all very well behaved and in a festive mood," Schu said.

Preliminary two-day sales figures at Boscov's at the Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township, which opened Thanksgiving Day for the first time, were higher than expected, according to public relations manager Kathy Buxton.

And this couldn't have come at a better time for the Reading, Pa.-based company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August and recently was acquired by two former executives in a deal worth a reported $275 million to $300 million.

"We did very, very well on Thanksgiving and we also exceeded our expectations for Black Friday," said Buxton, adding that opening on Thanksgiving did not decrease the store's Black Friday turnout compared with past years. "This was a very positive start to the holiday season for us."

The merchants encouraged by their Black Friday sales hope the rest of the holiday shopping season follows suit.

"With six less shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, there was definitely more of a sense of urgency among consumers to get their shopping done," Schu said. "If this is any indication of what to expect from the rest of the season, we're off to a good start."

E-mail Robert Spahr:

RSpahr@pressofac.com