As usual, droves of shoppers got up early to stalk Black Friday bargains while taking part in the kickoff of the holiday buying season.

What remains to be seen is whether they actually opened their wallets.

The answer to that question could have significant ramifications for retailers and consumers, here and around the nation, as we move toward Christmas, with some experts predicting another tough year for stores.

They say there are simply too many people like Tammy Hooks, of Wentzville, whose Friday started around 4:30 a.m. with a trip to Sears and included stops at Walmart, Target and J.C. Penney. It was a day built around various advertised deals on DVDs and other home goods.

"The sales were very important," Hooks said. "It's kind of tough right now."

That's a real problem for retailers, who traditionally have been willing to lose money on so-called "door busters" in hopes that customers will also buy nondiscounted merchandise. But, increasingly, shoppers are ignoring everything but the sale items.

"They basically went in and bought the deals. And that's all they bought," said Britt Beemer, a retail expert and founder of America's Research Group in Charleston, S.C. "I think it's going to be a very disappointing day."

Other shoppers were using the day more for price comparisons than actual shopping. Such was the case with Anthony and Tammy Goebel, of St. Charles, who stopped first at quiet Northwest Plaza, where, at times, closed storefronts appeared to outnumber the shoppers. The Goebels might buy something, they agreed, if the right deal came along. But otherwise, this was more of a reconnaissance mission.

"It's a little depressing this year. We're all broke," said Tammy Goebel. "The people out and about, they aren't smiling as much as they usually are. It's kind of sad."

But while some may be quick to blame the economy for consumers' hesitance to buy, it may simply be a sign that shoppers are more savvy these days, said Mark Arnold, an associate professor of marketing at St. Louis University.

"Everybody knows how the game is played. They're after deals, and they're willing to wait out the retailers," Arnold said. "The retailers will always blink first."

As a result, he expects the day to reflect strong activity; the first estimates of Friday's sales should come out later today. But he doesn't think those sales will be all that profitable, because much of that merchandise will have been heavily discounted.

Still, some national stores — including Best Buy, Sears Holding Corp. and mall operator Simon Property Group — said they were encouraged by signs that shoppers appeared to be spending more freely.

Certainly there were plenty of them swarming retailers throughout the day.

The smell of wood fires and kettle corn lingered in the parking lot outside the Bass Pro Shops, in St. Charles, where, just after sunrise, Clifford Daugherty of Mendon, Ill., was loading smokers and other gear into the back of a red pickup. Getting a good deal during a down economy was enough to make up for the two-hour drive and the fact that he doesn't normally do this sort of thing.

"We're not the type to go out on Black Friday," Daugherty said.

And some even wondered whether the deals were worth the trouble.

That was Stu Liming, of Ballwin, who was sitting at 7 a.m. outside Best Buy in Manchester, waiting on a friend to buy an Xbox 360. Liming had already made his big purchase of the day: a Compaq netbook for $179. For this, he showed up at 2:30 a.m. to wait in line. By 7 a.m., all that remained on the sidewalk were empty fast-food containers, a few blankets and a canvas chair. And maybe just a little regret.

"I don't know if it was worth it, honestly," Liming said. "I do enjoy sleep."

At St. Louis Galleria, both mall and store managers said crowds were comparable to last year.

Kirsten Rutledge, general manager for Macy's, said shoppers were particularly targeting shoes — especially boots — and fine jewelry. "Customers are looking at value," Rutledge said.

Some shoppers, however, were surprised that the crowds weren't larger in the mall.

"There are not as many people here. I don't know if they are at Walmart or Target, but they are not here," said Joyce Jackson, who looked for boots at Macy's but decided the price wasn't quite right.

One thing missing here and nationally were the reports of violence and stampeding shoppers that marred last year's Black Friday. Experts say some of that was because stores did a better job educating shoppers about the specifics of their deals: Often the lowest advertised prices are only good for a few items in the store.

And Walmart, in particular, took extra steps this year to avoid a repeat of what happened last year, when an employee in New York was trampled to death as his store opened its doors to eager shoppers. This year, Walmart kept its stores open all night to avoid having people mass around the front doors.

But that doesn't mean things couldn't get a little ugly from time to time.

Kristi Davis, of Chesterfield, had her shopping cart piled as high as her shoulders as she waited to check out at the Walmart in Chesterfield Valley. When she arrived at 5 a.m., she said the line stretched all the way around the store.

Davis, who was shopping with her daughter, said she was surprised at how aggressive some bargain hunters were acting this year — she saw a few shoppers taking items out of other peoples' carts when they weren't looking.

"We stayed with our carts," Davis said.

Riya Anandwala, Shane Anthony and Stephen Deere of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.