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JEFFERSON CITY --

But that didn't stop brave shoppers from camping out at Best Buy in Jefferson City. Some camped out for several days, hoping to find deep discounts.

"I got here about 4:30 Wednesday evening,” said one Jefferson City resident, eager to cash in on sales. “I've been here since."

By 4 a.m. Friday, more than 150 people had lined up. For Leann Helling and her 10-year-old daughter it was a new computer they were after - but only for a "cheap price."

“We’re trying to get a good deal in this economy,” Helling said.

Others, bundled in blankets, said they were focused on staying warm. 

Doors opened at 5 a.m. as holiday shoppers rushed to get a jump start on the shopping season. The big ticket item this year is computers. And some of the more popular laptops sold out in less than five minutes.

“They had a really good deal on a laptop and printer combo,” said another Jefferson City resident, waiting in line for a deal. “And it's $599 so I decided to come early and get it."

Also popular this year are flat screen TVs, GPSs computers, and GPS devices. But shoppers didn't just come out on Friday to save, they came to spend.

In Jefferson City a number of people spent over a thousand dollars on multiple big ticket electronics, which is good news for local retailers worried about the economy, and slumping sales.

”We've been seeing the same amount of traffic so everything looks to be good,” said one Best Buy manager Friday morning.

How much consumers actually spend is something Wall Street and analysts will be paying close attention to.

Best Buy managers say they had 25 more associates working Friday - that’s many more than they would on any other normal day.

Some employees said they actually looked forward to this day all year, and prepared a month in advance for it.