North Dakota stores are happy with early numbers for the holiday shopping season, retailers say.

"I think (the season)is going to be outstanding, to tell the truth,"said Doug Kautzman, store manager of the Bismarck Target.

Mike Rud, president of the North Dakota Retailer's Association, said preliminary returns for the day after Thanksgiving showed a 2 percent to 3 percent increase over last year's sales.

"Shopping picked up early during the week of Thanksgiving Day and was especially strong throughout Black Friday,"Rud said.

And with eastern North Dakota's recent retail growth, some stores were seeing even higher increases.

"The fall and early winter have been very good sales months,"Rud said. "Some are reporting record increases in sales."

Kautzman said the store far surpassed expectations, pulling in figures that were well over projection.

Electronics and toys are once again dominating sales, Rud said, making up about 60 percent of sales in some of the general stores.

Mall traffic was solid, management at both malls said. "It started off in the morning very strong,"said Lisa Englestad, marketing manager of Kirkwood Mall, about the day after Thanksgiving. "It was probably one of the biggest traffic days that early in the 15 years that I've been here."

Cheryl Hansen, on-site mall manager of Gateway Mall, said some of the retailers in that mall said they had their strongest sales day all year.

Rud said he's confident that retailers will be able to achieve 4 percent to 5 percent above last year's sales, attributing the heavy shopping to lower gas prices and energy costs.

"They're hoping that continues, to see people spending that disposable income,"Rud said. "If things hold, if the weather stabilizes, that 4 to 5 percent is a reasonable projection."

(Reach reporter Crystal R. Reid at 250-8261 or at crystal.reid@;bismarcktribune.com.)