Sommer Collins braved after-Christmas crowds for the first time early Friday, and she wasn't disappointed.

"I was pretty proud of myself because I got some good stuff and I didn't elbow anyone," she said.

Collins, of Memphis, Tenn., was in Bismarck to visit relatives. She came away from the stores Friday with a cart full of half-price Christmas decorations to use next year.

It was the first time she had come to shop the day after Christmas, she said.

A line had formed by the time Collins pulled into the Target store parking lot about 20 minutes before store opened at 7 a.m. Store manager Doug Kautzman said a few hundred people were waiting.

When the doors opened, "people were running with carts," Collins said.

Business managers from around the state reported crowded stores and brisk day-after-Christmas sales.

In Minot, more than 150 shoppers waited for the doors to open at Target, said Shane Maurer-Zenner, who manages the store.

Maurer-Zenner said shoppers sought clearance items and seasonal items - the earlier the better.

"I wouldn't say we have a lot of wrapping paper left now, but we did at 7 a.m.," he said.

Maurer-Zenner said the holiday shopping season is ending on a strong point, after starting strong after Thanksgiving and dropping off in midseason.

"The larger retails from what I've seen had a pretty good year," he said.

Rusty Papachek, manager of West Acres mall in Fargo, said projects a 3 percent to 5 percent increase in holiday sales over last year, helped by good weather.

Russ Hanson, president of the North Dakota Retail Association, earlier predicted holiday sales in the state could be up as much as 5 percent over last year.

Papachek said he sees fewer returns each year as gift cards grow in popularity. Gift cards at the Fargo mall grew by 10 percent over last year, he said.

Beth Hanson, manager of the Marshall Fields store in Bismarck, said gift card sales are up 30 percent over last year, and returns are down.

Traffic at the store was light for the first few hours Friday but picked up later, Hanson said. She said the store discounted holiday items three weeks in advance, which may have accounted for the slow morning traffic.

Gift certificates were up, too, at Columbia Mall in Grand Forks, said manager Bill Reid. He said the mall was filled with people Friday.

"People are trying to get them redeemed while there's still a lot of selection," Reid said.

A gift card lured Joe Beckler of Mandan to a Bismarck store. Beckler said he ventured out to buy a new DVD player with a gift card.

"I usually don't go out the day after Christmas, ever," he said, pushing a shopping cart into the crowded parking lot.