EAST MANATEE -- Black Friday shoppers were still plying their craft at 2 p.m. Friday at stores all over Manatee County, although the crowds appeared to be thinner by the middle of the day than they were at midnight.

"Black Friday? Who has money for Black Friday because of the economy?" sasked one woman with two small children who was out buying non-Black Friday items.

But at the Walmart Superstore on State Road 64, Ashley McGee, 20, and Cameron Hemmingway, 20, both of Bradenton, had planned to shop on Black Friday and they got nearly all of their Christmas shopping done with one gigantic blast that cost them $1,390.

"We love Walmart," said McGee who actually came to the store at 7 p.m. Thursday and shopped till 11 p.m., only to find out that her American Express card wouldn't immediately approve the large purchase.

"I called the credit card company Friday morning and got it straightened out, and we ended up finding all the items except for a toolbox that we had found Thursday night and couldn't buy," McGee said.

Included in their haul was a Black Friday 40-inch Vizio Smart HDTV for $648, which they said represented a savings of roughly $200. They also picked up a Phillips Surround Sound for $168, also a savings of around $200, the couple said.

They also got a Sony PS3, clothing, a microwave and skateboards.

At the same store, Olga Hernandez and David Shaw bought 12 DVD movies for $1.96. The cheapest movies during the year usually are $5, the couple remarked.