MANCHESTER — The annual nuttiness of Black Friday struck Manchester early, as people began forming long lines Wednesday morning looking to scoop up deals offered by stores on the traditional first day of the Christmas shopping season.

The line at Best Buy, which was offering a 42-inch high-definition television for $199 that was at the top of the list for many shoppers, stretched around its building at the Mall of New Hampshire to trash containers at the back by 6 p.m. Thursday.

At the front was Sidney Specht, who wanted to be the first to get his hands on one of those televisions, as well as a PlayStation 3.

“I'm tired,” Specht said.

People in line at the Manchester Toys R Us, which by 6 p.m. Thursday had stretched the length of the building in anticipation of the store's 9 p.m. opening, speculated that Specht had been in his spot at Best Buy for a week.

“At least I'm not at Best Buy,” said Jeff Martin, who was in line at Toys R Us.

That estimate was part of how Black Friday can get blown a little out of proportion. Specht said he had been there since Wednesday morning. Lindsay Thibeault, who was second in line and wanted to purchase two televisions and two laptop computers, said she arrived at 8 a.m. Thursday.

“I'd heard that there was already a long line and there were people in tents,” she said. “It's funny how things get exaggerated.”

For some in the lines, it's about the deals and fun doesn't enter the equation.

“Not really,” Stephanie Myers said when asked if she was having fun outside Toys R Us. “It's been really cold.”

For others, it's about the experience.

Lisa Moore of Concord said she is going out with friends to Walmart, Best Buy and Target, though she is only looking to buy some princess dress up clothes for her daughter.

“I am mostly going to have a fun time with my friends,” she said. “The shopping is secondary.”

Some employees may be less than excited, though.

The earlier opening times of major retailers this year — last year, the earliest openings were at 4 a.m. on Black Friday — prompted an online petition in support of employees who, according to news reports about the petition, would have to either forgo sleep or give up their Thanksgiving holidays with their families. Toys R Us, at 9 p.m. Thursday, opened the earliest. Walmart opened an hour later, while most other major retailers, including Macy's, Target and Best Buy, settled on opening at midnight.

The lines were cordial Thursday night, though the doors hadn't opened yet to invite the specter of pushing and shoving commonly seen on Black Friday. Farther along the Best Buy line, some boys kicked around a soccer ball and nearly everybody chatted, smiled and laughed.

As of 7:30 p.m. Thursday, police agencies in Manchester, Concord and Nashua, the state's three largest cities, said they'd received no reports of problems related to Black Friday lines.

At what was the back of the line at 6 p.m. Thursday at Best Buy, Sandy Eaton and Tim Durgin said the line wasn't as long as they'd expected it to be. Eaton, standing behind nearly 100 people, was hoping to purchase the same television model that Specht had been willing to wait almost 40 hours for.

Thibeault said she doesn't believe it's unusual or “crazy” to spend her entire Thanksgiving holiday waiting outside a big box electronics retailer.

“This is my fifth year doing this,” she said. “I've managed to make money off of it every year. I don't think it's crazy at all.”

Specht, who can be described as a large man, said he decided to get in line to shop for more people than just himself and pick up Christmas gifts for others to give out.

“I'm fat enough to miss a Thanksgiving dinner to help people get their gifts,” he said.