SAN DIEGO -- Thousands of bleary-eyed San Diegans spent the night in lines outside stores or awakened early Friday to take advantage of Black Friday deals.

About 300 people lined up outside Fry's Electronics in Serra Mesa overnight for Black Friday deals, according to a local TV station.

People in line told the station they were interested in buying plasma television sets and laptop computers, when the retailer opened at 5 a.m.

A "mad rush" was reported when a Target store at Plaza Bonita in National City opened.

"I can hardly wait," a woman told the station as she entered the store and headed for the electronics department.

Similar customer lines were reported around the nation, especially at big-box retailers.

Black Friday deals included a Magnavox Blu-Ray player at Wal-Mart for $128; a 26-inch Westinghouse flat-screen high definition television set at Target for $299; and a half-carat diamond necklace at JC Penney for $79.99.

About 400 people waited in two lines outside a Kohl's store in Santee for its 4 a.m. opening.

Stores at the Carlsbad Outlet Center opened at midnight.

A woman who identified herself only as Jennifer told a local TV station that she was shopping early for the fifth year in a row at the Toys "R" Us in Bay Park.

"Basically they have a lot of the smaller toys that are 50 percent off, so that's one of the big things," she said. "When you have 10 people to buy for, 10 percent means a lot."

Traffic was heavy at times on Interstate 5 near the outlet centers near the border and Highway 163 near the Fashion Valley Mall, according to the California Highway Patrol.

San Diego police advised Black Friday shoppers that for safety's sake they should be aware of their surroundings, park in well-lit areas and store shopping bags out of sight in their vehicles by putting them in their trunks.

Police also advised shoppers to keep their cell phones within reach but not to talk on cell phones while walking to their car, because a thief could run up and grab their bags.