Shoppers Friday in Madison, armed with sales circulars and precise shopping strategies, said they were sticking to lists and foregoing spur-of-the-moment purchases.

Some said they would spend less than last year on holiday gifts, but others said they would spend a little more or about the same. One said shopping was out, after he lost his job and took a huge pay cut.

Retailers are hoping slashed prices, cheaper gasoline and good weather on the weekends will help their bottom lines after dismal sales in September and October and record snows last November and December cut into 2007 sales.

Here is a sampling of what we found Friday:

Cathy Frisch

Age: 45

Home: Nashville, Tenn.

Store: Office Max, 7341 West Towne Way

Office Max didn't open until 7 a.m. but about 30 minutes after the doors opened, shoppers were busy grabbing stacks of recordable DVDs, computer anit-virus programs, printers and $60 digital camcorders.

Frisch, who was shopping with family members from Mount Horeb, saved $100 on a GPS unit at Office Max and was on her way to Sam's Club to buy a digital camcorder.

She expects to spend about the same amount as she did last Christmas with many of the purchases going to her five grandchildren.

"The gas prices affected me a little bit but that's down and with my job, I'm making more," Frisch said. "The economy really hasn't affected me that much."

Laura Steele

Age: 40

Home: Boscobel

Store: Best Buy, 7357 West Towne Way

A few members of the Geek Squad were seen yawning but the tent city that formed overnight had packed up by 8 a.m. Computers and televisions were the big draw. Stacks of "Guitar Hero" video games greeted customers as did $4.99 movies on DVD and 8-gigabyte iPod Nanos (that included a $20 gift card) for $149.

For Steele, who was shopping with her niece, Whitney Granger, 12, of Richland Center, Best Buy was the third stop of the day. The pair left Boscobel, west of Madison, at 4:45 a.m. and made visits to the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Dodgeville and the Farm & Fleet in Verona. Kohl's and Target were also on the list.

"I've got my plan," said Steele. "I'm saving. I'm looking for the bargains. That's why I'm here today."

Steele purchased a $40 Leapster game at Farm & Fleet and a $29 computer printer at Best Buy. She is buying gifts for a limited number of family members, after drawing names at Thanskgiving, and for her 4-year-old son, Parker. Steele estimates she will spend about $300 this year on Christmas gifts, about the same as last year.

"I'm on the right track," Steele said. "I'm doing really well."

Joe Lake

Age: 28

Home: Madison

Store: Packerman.com, inside West Towne Mall

Lake said he recently lost his job as a manager at a convenience store and has gone from making about $600 a week to $8 an hour as a clerk at Packerman.com, which has had a temporary storefront at West Towne since mid-November.

Business at the store, which specializes in sports memorabilia, has been "hit or miss" with many people buying less-expensive items like slippers, socks and hats, not the $150 framed photograph of Brett Favre, Lake said.

"I think people are shopping more for what people need, not desires," Lake said.

As for Lake's own Christmas shopping, friends and relatives shouldn't expect much. He only has a few more days left at Packermania.com and is looking for work. "I'm not spending a dime" (on Christmas shopping), Lake said. "I need to save it for rent and food and pray to God that I find something else."

Tiffany Bernhardt

Position: Marketing director

Store: West Towne Mall

More than 100 people were in line at 3:45 a.m. to grab a free $10 gift card when West Towne Mall opened at 5 a.m. Friday. By mid-morning, the mall was bustling and the parking lot full. Bernhardt said electronic counters at the entrances to the mall's parking areas would likely record 25,000 to 30,000 vehicles Friday. That translates to about 60,000 shoppers for the mall, which gets about 14 million visitors annually.

"This could be a very good season if the traffic levels continue," she said. "There are so many factors."

How much retailers slash prices, weather, the economy and gas prices can all play a role in shopping patterns. The Friday after Thanksgiving typically means more people at the mall but the Saturday before Christmas (Dec. 20 this year) is typically the best sales day at the mall, Bernhardt said.

Nancy Bills

Age: 52

Home: Madison

Store: Just outside Sears in West Towne Mall

The economy may be tight, but that's not preventing Bills from helping others in need. She is taking part in a program through her church, St. Dennis, that buys gifts for children with a parent in prison. She said she will buy gifts for three children in the program, who fill out request cards for what they need most. One of the cards Bills pulled from her purse said the child needed a hat and mittens.

For her own children, who are grown, Bills will buy specific items and give the most versatile gift, cash.

"I'm probably spending less this year because I'm buying specific things and not just buying to put things under the tree," she said.

Lorna Elliott

Age: 43

Home: Denver

Store: West Towne Mall

Elliott's group was easy to spot. The nine female shoppers wore red T-shirts with the word C.O.W. on the front and their names on the back. C.O.W. stands for Colorado, Ohio and Wisconsin, the states in which the group, visiting family in Muscoda in southwestern Wisconsin, call home.

The group was trolling West Towne Friday but also made stops at Wal-Mart and Kohl's. The best deals included 97 cent shoes at J.C. Penney and $2 movies at Wal-Mart.

"We're sticking to our lists," Elliott said.

Family member Lynda Baumann, of Cincinnati, said she will spend less than last year.

"Because of the stock market and my husband (who is worried about finances), I just feel like I don't want the burden," Baumann said. "The tree is not going to have as many gifts under it."

Carol "Orange" Schroeder

Position: Co-owner

Store: Orange Tree Imports, 1721 Monroe St.

Year-to-date sales at Orange Tree Imports are off less than 1 percent when compared to 2007 and, if the weather cooperates, sales could surpass last year, said Carol "Orange" Schroeder, who along with her husband, Dean, has run her kitchen, housewares and gift store for 34 years.

There were no pre-dawn lines and the store didn't open until 10 a.m. Friday. Expanded holiday hours won't begin until Monday. Despite the down economy and shoppers being more selective, Schroeder believes a small business can be more resilient because it is more connected to its customers.

"Our shoppers are pretty thoughtful to begin with," Schroeder said. "I think shoppers on Monroe Street are already looking for something special."