The hustle and bustle that is the holiday season was in full effect at local retail stores this morning.

Shoppers arrived bright and early in their quest to snag that all-important deal on what is generally regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.While customers were spotted perusing through the aisles and leaving with shopping carts filled with gifts, the parking lots weren't nearly as full at several local retail stores.In fact, parking spaces could be had at Kmart in Walnutport before 6 a.m.Jessica Biegley of Slatington was among the shoppers inside who said she routinely shops on the day after Thanksgiving."I do it to try to get my shopping done in one day," Biegley said."I get good deals, save some money."However, Biegley said she doesn't like that stores start their Black Friday sales a day early on Thanksgiving."It's not considered Black Friday," she said. "I think they should be spending it with their families."Biegley said it's especially crucial that she save as much money as she can thanks to a new addition to her family."In August, I had a baby boy," she said. "So, now I've really got to save money."Similarly, over at the Walmart Superstore in Mahoning Township, many parking spaces were unoccupied.As he left the store, Roobhenn Smith of Summit Hill had two store employees assist him with his three shopping carts full of gifts.Smith said it's a routine he's participated in for the past decade."I typically go Black Friday shopping,"Smith said. "I'm pleased that I have the opportunity to save on items that I typically wouldn't buy or purchase."The National Retail Federation forecasts holiday sales will grow 4.1 percent to $616.9 billion the biggest jump since 2011. It's a make-or-break time for many retailers, which can get as much as 20 percent of their annual sales during the holiday shopping season.Already, retailers have resorted to steep discounting to lure shoppers.Early bird specialThe National Retail Federation expected 25.6 million shoppers to head to stores on Thanksgiving, which would be slightlydown from last year. The numbers aren't in yet, but there were crowds across the country.Macy's said more than 15,000 people were lined up outside its flagship location in New York City's Herald Square when the doors opened at 6 p.m.Last year, the retailer said there were 15,000 people.In the Chicago suburb of Naperville, Illinois, the parking lot of a Walmart store was full about a half-hour before deals started at 6 p.m., including $199 iPad minis.When stores first started opening on Thanksgiving a few years ago, the move was met with resistance by those who thought the holiday should remain sacred.Some Thanksgiving shoppers still felt a tinge of guilt even as they snagged deals on the holiday."I think it's ridiculous stores open on Thanksgiving," said Reggie Thomas, 44, a director who bought a Sony sound bar for $349, about $100 off, at Best Buy in New York on Thanksgiving.Cathyliz Lopez, 20, who spent $700 at Target on Thanksgiving, agrees."It's ruining the spirit of Thanksgiving," she said Thursday. "But ... the best deals were today."A new tradition,for workersWalmart is expected to be the target of another round of protests calling on the company to pay its workers $15 an hour.The union-backed group Our Walmart says demonstrations are planned at 1,600 stores around the country.Organizers say workers started walking off the job on Wednesday, and some staged a sit-down strike at a store in Washington, D.C. Brooke Buchanan, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman, played down the impact of the protests.She said past protests have focused on a handful of locations with a handful of workers. "Perception is not reality in this case. We've seen this story before," she said.The Associated Presscontributed to this report.