Black Friday’s turnout was better than expected, but spending was lackluster, say retailers.

In Twin Falls, thousands of shoppers waited outside major retailers long before the 5 a.m. kick-off of Black Friday — a pivotal juncture in the all-important holiday season.

Employees at Best Buy said lines began forming outside the store at 1 p.m. Thursday, while stores like ShopKo and Target reported customers lining up in freezing temperatures just after midnight.

But the largest turnout was at the new Walmart Supercenter in Twin Falls, where the parking lot was filled to overflowing and cars backed up onto Washington Street North at 4:30 a.m. Inside the store, shoppers flocked to the electronics department, where they bought up video games, video game accessories, as well as mid-priced items like DVD players and GPS units.

Shoppers passed over most higher-priced items that were not discounted like computers and flat-screen televisions.

Major retailers in Twin Falls hired more than 30 temporary workers to accommodate the holiday rush — something labor officials feared would not happen under the current economy.

National retailers will not release sales reports until Decem-ber, but managers of stores in Twin Falls said demand appeared highest for video games, DVDs and heavily discounted items.

“Right now the sales are more ad driven, with buyers sticking to items that are on sale,”said Crystal Lilya, the store manager.

Consumers set a high bar for retailers this year. They became accustomed to massive discounts last year, when many stores slashed prices by 70 percent or more as the economy crumbled.

A survey by retail analyst group, Accenture, found that 86 percent of shoppers won’t buy anything without a 20 percent discount, while about a quarter said they won’t bother with anything less than 50 percent off.

“We have seen a `shift to thrift’ across all income levels during this economic downturn and breaking that habit will be the greatest challenge for retailers this holiday season,” said Janet Hoffman, global managing director of retail for Accenture.

Douglas and Maureen Reynolds, of Hailey, said they expected to spend about $100 less than last year.

“I work in construction and it was really slow this summer, so we’re limiting our spending to about $300,” Douglas Reynolds said. “In the past, we would kind of browse the stores to see what looked good, but this year we scoured the ads to find exactly what fit our budget.”

Despite the cutback in spending, retailers in TwinFalls said the shopping season is shaping up to be better than expected.

“I think it’s been more successful than what we anticipated,” Lilya said. “But we still have to wait and see what happens in the next few days.”

Retailers are hoping that consumers will return for deals on remaining inventory to put them further in the black. But shoppers like the Reynolds’ say they’re done for the year.

“I wish we could spend more, but it’s just not in the cards this year,” Reynolds said.

Other people who spoke with the Times-News said they also planned to shop at smaller retailers.

“I like to think that I’m more creative than buying my husband a necktie,” said Julie Hess. “I plan on sifting through one of the antique stores to find him something special.”

Joshua Palmer may be reached at jpalmer@magicvalley.com