SPOKANE -- Thousands of people lined up at stores across the Inland Northwest before dawn Friday morning trying to muscle in on some of the best deals of the year.

Many of the shoppers who were out early Friday morning had to brave long lines and heavy rain to get the best deals.

The line outside the North Spokane Shopko started forming at 11 p.m. Thursday night with Jessica Lee at the head of the line.

“We normally come right after thanksgiving dinner,” Jessica said.

Jerry Calhoun was first in line at a Target store earlier in the evening.

“I was here at 9 o'clock,” Calhoun said.

He was first in a queue that wrapped around the building before the doors opened. To help keep people warm store manager Steve Asher delivered hot coffee to the holiday shoppers.

“It’s really exciting to see this line, actually longer than last year so we're pumped especially with this weather,” Asher said.

The cold, wet weather didn’t people from getting pumped up for the door-busting deals. The doors at Target opened at 5 a.m. and it took just 26 minutes for everyone in line to get inside.

Retailers hoped for lines like the ones seen around Spokane Friday morning. Analysts say about one-quarter of US shoppers hit the stores on Black Friday with more than half shopping before noon.

John Klopsh was first in line at Staples when it opened at 6 a.m. He says for him and many others door busting has become a tradition.

“Spokane people are great people, always laughing, bunch of fun people in line,” John said.

After spending hours in line outside many faced hours inside. At Best Buy people who had waited overnight just to get inside then waited for more than an hour in the lines at cash registers to ring up their purchases. Shoppers say it's annoying but part of the Black Friday experience.

“People have been very nice,” shopper Michelle Cairns said. “You hear about people frantic stressed out but I thought today was nice.”