Black Friday hits the Valley

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - For many, it was a day of early wake up calls, long lines, and some serious shopping.

It's become a national tradition, and it's no different in the Wabash Valley. It was Black Friday.

"I just want to try and save some money, and try to get everybody more," Kristie Mcelroy, a Black Friday Shopper said.

Shoppers were on a mission for deals.That mission equals success for retailers.

"it's just a great day. We see a lot of customers. We have a lot of great sales. It does drive our sales obviously," Doug Ripberger from K-Mart said.

Here's an idea of how powerful the day can be. Researchers estimate 135 million people in United States participated in Black Friday in 2007.

That's more than the populations of Indiana, Illinois and Ohio combined.

Retailers need those numbers again, especially during a bad economy.