The day after Thanksgiving has come and gone, along with the big sales. But the memories of the sales haven’t faded yet.

Those sales meant standing in a line that runs almost to the back of the parking lot from the Wal-Mart doors at 4:45 a.m., shivering and laughing about stories of former after-Thanksgiving sales experiences.

“I really didn’t need anything. I just went for the high ... it helps me get into the Christmas spirit,” said Marilyn Hansen, resident of Rexburg and 10-year veteran of these early-morning sales. She was in the Wal-Mart line since 4:05 a.m.

Alan Beagley, a manager at Rexburg’s Wal-Mart, said around 700 people rushed through the doors that morning, guessing by the remaining amount of store maps he had in his hand.

By 5:07 a.m. most of the carts were gone and every register was open for lines of buyers.

Beagley said in the five years he has worked at Wal-Mart the people have been generally well-behaved. He said they had a fight in the parking lot that morning but it wasn’t as bad as when the Harry Potter items went on sale.

Jolynn Davis, an employee in food services at BYU-Idaho said she has been at these sales for five years and it was the first time she had gotten up for an opening at 5 a.m. Her favorite part about these sales is standing in line watching people around her.

Other stores in Rexburg had busy days with their own rush of shoppers Friday morning.

Porters Craft and Frame prepared for the holiday sale by having all of the heads of each department there at 6:30 a.m. for their 7 a.m. opening, said Veronica Huebsch, a Porters employee.

She said over 1,000 people went through the store on Friday. This was about 25 percent more than came through on Saturday. Huebsch said the main items they sold were their scrapbooking items, cardstock that was 75 percent off and Yankee candles.

So are the sales worth it? According to shoppers it is.

“Once you have a family, you will learn that you will save so much by going at that hour,” Hansen said.

She saves at least $20 on each item she buys, usually gets what she wants and can be home by 10 a.m.

In her 10 years of early-morning shopping, she has never seen any fights break out. Her favorite part about these sales is that they help her get into the Christmas spirit and the excitement of the sales.