Busy. That’s how the majority of local merchants described sales on “Black Friday,” the nickname given the day after Thanksgiving when many retailers begin making a profit.

Locally, JCPenney opened its doors at 3:30 a.m. and department manager Irene Rodgers said “busy was good.”

“We’ve had a really good day,” she said. “When I got here around 4, the parking lot was full. I know we’ve been ahead or even on our sales all day long. We’ve seen a steady stream of traffic all day long. It’s just been really busy and really good.”

Daphne Posey, owner of Town and Country, opened early, and by lunchtime reported that business had been “good and steady.”

Factory Connection manager Jesse Walden said her store had “a great morning” in its new location in Sanford Station.

Allen Jones, owner of Andalusia’s Sears, said the store had a really good turnout.

“We’ve been busy since 2 a.m.,” he said. “We’ve sold a lot of washers, dryers, tools and TVs.”

Jones said his sales have been what he expected.

“I think the Iron Bowl will probably play a little bit of a factor in our sales,” he said.

Ansley Place owner Louisa Mann said her store was full right up until kickoff.

“We’ve been very busy,” she said, adding that shoppers were purchasing decorations and Christmas gifts.

“We’ve had lots of out of town shoppers, people with visitors, and lots of hometown people. We certainly appreciate them staying at home and shopping with us.”

MaryAnn Rabren Johnson reported that her store, MaryAnn’s, located on the square, also had a good day on Black Friday. Most of her customers were looking for gifts, she said, and most of the gifts were for themselves.

In 2009, the day after Thanksgiving pulled in 6.4 percent of overall holiday spending in 2009, according to ShopperTrak. This weekend, consumers are expected to spend $41.2 billion, but that’s less than 10 percent of the overall $447 billion seen spent during the entire holiday season, the National Retail Federation said.