Shoppers were out in full force across the city and beyond Friday in search of the best deals the early holiday shopping season has to offer. NY1's Tara Lynn Wagner filed the following report.

Throngs of people flooded the Queens Center Mall on Black Friday to nab the best bargains they could find.

"Half off, $20 savings. That's a lot of money in this economy," said one bargain hunting shopper.

Perhaps it is the economy that inspired a lot of first timers who braved the mall on what is notoriously the busiest shopping day of the year.

"It was good. We actually got five gifts out of the way with only $20," said one shopper.

The bags in their arms may have been too heavy to pick up, but they couldn't compete with the bags under their eyes. Rather than get up at 3 a.m., many shoppers pulled an all-nighter, hitting multiple stores before sunrise.

"All night! See the bags? It's worth it," said one shopper.

Even bleary-eyed, it was hard to miss the deals. About a hundred people were at the door when Modells opened at midnight, ready to flex their shopping muscles and stretch their dollar.

"We've had Timberland boots for $60 that are regularly $120. We have Nike sweatshirts and fleece and bottoms for 50 percent off. We had some buy one, get one free items. It's been crazy," said Modells Assistant Manager Marc Shlansky.

However, there is a bit of a catch 22 this year. While more people are expected to shop on Black Friday, they may find that the pickings are slim, as retailers have had to limit inventory.

"There aren't as many discounts as last year because last year a lot of retailers had excess inventory and they had to get it off the shelves," said Crain's Retail Reporter Adrianna Pasquarelli. "This year, they ordered less, so there will be less and therefore less markdowns that will be passed on to the consumer."

While the Saturday before Christmas is expected to be equally busy, many Black Friday shoppers say finishing ahead of time is well worth the madness.

For those who were too tired and full of turkey to take advantage of the doorbuster deals, not to worry. Many stores are offering sales all weekend and there's always cyber Monday when shoppers can get a lot of great bargains without getting out of their pajamas.