Revved up shoppers stormed Big Apple retailers at the stroke of midnight in search of incredible bargains and hard to find holiday gifts.
The tidal wave of commerce kicked off Black Friday, the traditional opening of the holidays shopping season..
At the Times Square Toys “R” Us workers actually handed out special tickets for this season’s hottest toy, the Zhu Zhu Pet Hamster.
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The store shut its doors at 7 p.m. to gear up for the onslaught, and shoppers had to go on a separate line for the mechanical rodent. The lines began moving at 12 a.m.
“I feel wonderful, It’s like winning the Lotto,” said Kim Evans, 40, of Atlanta, who snagged a hamster for her 6-year-old daughter.
“I went to the store in Georgia four times and they were sold out every time.”
Judy Cox of Queens was out of luck, however.
“We waited two hours outside,” she said. ” I didn’t know you needed a ticket. I guess I’ll try on the Internet.”
The line at the 24-hour Apple store on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street — which also temporarily closed for the onslaught — stretched around the block.
Dozens of clapping employees greeted customers with a list of discounted items when the doors reopened.
“It was very organized and there was tons of help,” said Janice Brown of Manhattan. “We walked out with an iPod touch.”
Apple dropped its prices an average of 5 to 10 percent, depending on the product.
Rachel Cusack, 20, who came all the way from Ireland for the lower prices said, “Apple made the point that they never do sales, so when they do it draws a crowd.”
But Ray Vazquez, 40, of Manhattan had been hoping for even better bargains.
“They sent me an email saying I’d save 25 percent so I dragged myself down here to buy a Mac.” He estimated “all I saved was like 3 to 4 percent,”
At some stores, the shopping frenzy actually started on Thursday.
Mostofashafiq Housine was the king of the early birds. He got in line outside a Best Buy on Fifth Avenue at 1 a.m. yesterday so he could be first in line when the store opened 28 hours later.
It was the third year in a row that the 39-year-old kitchen worker was first to line up for Black Friday sales at the electronics shop, where he was waiting to get a $479 deal on a Sony Vaio laptop.
“It’s worth it. I make friends with people in the line, and a friend of mine is coming with Thanksgiving dinner for me,” he said.
About 300 people had lined up outside the Best Buy by early morning, hoping to land deals that include a limited number of other laptops discounted to as low as $197.
“It’s a Christmas gift for my parents, so it’s well worth the sacrifice,” said Dan Bailey, 25, of Dumont, NJ, who arrived at 4 a.m. yesterday so he could get a deal on a computer. “Thanksgiving is no big deal; it doesn’t matter.”
Most major stores were ready at dawn.
Beginning at 4 a.m., Macy’s rolled out super sales on 250 items, from $99.99 leather coats to $29.99 cookware sets
Additional reporting by CJ Sullivan and Amanda Longobucco