The ongoing recession didn't slow New Yorkers down Friday as they packed malls and stores in search for Black Friday bargains, and the National Retail Federation estimates a 10 percent increase in shoppers this weekend as compared to last year. NY1's Kafi Drexel filed the following report.

Despite—or perhaps as a result of—the ongoing recession, shoppers hit the stores to cash in on Black Friday deals.

In many cases, shoppers got an early start. Forget turkey coma: for bargain-hunters, it was all about shopping ‘til they dropped.

"You get some of the best deals on Black Friday. You get to get more for your money," said one shopper.

"I got stuff from American Eagle, Aeropostale, H&M. I got some shoes from Nike shoes, I got some stuff from the Adidas store," said another.

Retail experts are expecting an increase in holiday shopping sales over last year. Some estimates have been as high as five percent.

Others are more conservative, predicting that many consumers will be cautious in the weak economy.

"Shoppers are going one way or the other. If they can, they’re going all the way to the top to luxury. Otherwise, they’re trading down to get as much value as they can from a discounter like Walmart or Target," said Adrianne Pasquarelli of Crain’s New York Business.

“Everybody has a budget. We all mostly have a budget, mostly credit cards. You save the whole year for your shopping,” said one shopper.

Retailers everywhere seem to be doing everything they can to get shoppers to spend more cash this holiday season. At JC Penny, they are providing shopping bags as large as Santa's sack.

Other retailers took a different approach.

“You get a lifetime warranty on all our leather products, things like that. Also, we always try to give an additional discount if we can to make things better,” said store owner Ayal Hod.

The National Retail Federation estimates 152 million people will head to stores this weekend. That number is up 10 percent from last year, but those are just people in the stores. Whether that actually translates into any real significant boost in sales remains to be seen.

New Yorkers Ready Their Wallets On Thanksgiving

With more and more stores kicking off their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving, many New Yorkers got an even earlier start than usual on their holiday shopping, but opinions are mixed on whether that's a good thing. NY1’s Bobby Cuza filed the following report.

At first glance, it may have appeared that a holiday that's supposed to be about family and gratitude was instead yielding to rampant consumerism.

"I am giving thanks because there is good sale today," said one shopper.

Retailers used to kick off their Black Friday sales early Friday morning, but many have now pushed them up to Thursday night. Toys”R”Us opened at 9 p.m.—earlier than ever before—to a rush of shoppers, many of whom had waited hours in line.

Old Navy was open right through Thanksgiving Day and night, 24 hours.

"At least this way you have a choice. If you want to come, you can come. If you don't, you can stay home with the family and eat," said one shopper.

Indeed, many shoppers NY1 spoke with said shopping on Thanksgiving was actually a more rational alternative to shopping in the middle of the night.

“I need my sleep. I need my beauty sleep. I don't need to be up at 4 o'clock in the morning to shop," said one shopper.

"As long as nobody dies, it's all good, because I've heard of the people falling, being trampled just to get stuff on sale,” said another. “That's crazy."

However, not everyone in the stores on Thanksgiving was there by choice.

"It's a good thing for me, but I don't think it's a good thing for the people that work and have to spend time away from their families," said one shopper.

As for shoppers spending time with their families, many said they made time for both.

“We already cooked, we already ate. It's not messing with Thanksgiving. We finished cooking at 2, we ate, we had pie and stuff," said one shopper.

“Shop and then eat. There you go," said another.

Despite a sputtering economy and high unemployment, the National Retail Federation said it expects 152 million Americans will hit the stores this weekend. That would be a ten percent increase over last year.

"Shopping Rage" Prompts Pepper Spray Attack Outside CA Walmart

The Black Friday rush didn’t go so smoothly for some shoppers at a Walmart in Los Angeles.

Investigators say at least 10 people were injured when a female shopper used pepper spray during a confrontation.

It happened just 10 p.m. local time as shoppers were let into the store.

Workers were forced to evacuate the store for a short period of time.

A police lieutenant reportedly told a local newspaper the altercation was caused by "customer versus customer shopping rage."

Police are still searching for the woman.