Cash registers ring all night as holiday shopping gets under way in Oklahoma

The Walmart shopper stood guarding her cart Thursday night. It was piled high with four 40-inch flat-screen TVs, which were going for just under $200 each. Ruimveld, who said she shops Black Friday sales every year, was buying the TVs as gifts for her grandchildren and son.

A quick peek into any major retailer's store on Black Friday revealed big-ticket items were in hot demand. Is it a sign the economy has improved, or that consumers are back to leaning on credit like they did pre-recession?

David Pena, general manager of Moore's Target store, said it's the economy. Crowds were 50 percent bigger Thursday night, with an estimated 3,500 shoppers lined up for the store's 9 p.m. opening.

“Our biggest challenge is the capacity of the building,” Pena said. “We have every lane open.”

By all accounts, retailers' decision to open Thanksgiving night proved profitable. The few holdouts, such as J.C. Penney, which opened at 6 a.m. Friday, were busy, too, as shoppers continued their all-night spree.