Black Friday — the traditional start to the Christmas shopping season — is now starting so early that it comes not long after Thanksgiving dinner’s pumpkin pie.

And scores of savings-minded shoppers filled local stores as early as 10 p.m. Thursday night, hoping to get big discounts on large-screen televisions, computers, video game consoles, toys and more.

Retailers throughout northern Jefferson County, as well as across the entire Metro Birmingham area, reported brisk sales through breakfast time Friday morning as pre-dawn “door-buster” promotions lured shoppers out of bed while Black Friday was literally black, at least in the sky.

Those pitch-black skies turned vivid blue as the morning wore on, but parking lots stayed full through lunchtime, as many specials were timed to end at 1 p.m.

And while cash registers at shopping centers and big-box stores were ringing furiously, smaller retailers were also benefitting from a nationwide push from two widely varying sides. Organizers of the Occupy Wall Street movement were asking shoppers to avoid large retailers for political reasons, while charge-card giant American Express was promoting “Shop Small” on its second annual small-business event, which formally takes place on Saturday.

Local police reported criminal activity was no more than usual on similar Black Fridays in recent years.