Utah's increase could be much higher.

The National Retail Federation released the results Sunday of its 2006 Black Friday Weekend Survey. Although it did not include state-specific sales data about Thanksgiving weekend, Salt Lake City economist Jeff Thredgold said Utah's hot economy - one of the strongest nationwide - is pushing holiday spending in the state to new heights.

Sales nationally for the entire holiday shopping season are projected to rise by 5 percent over last year to $457.4 billion, the retail federation said. Thredgold said Utah's increase should be four or five percentage points higher than that.

He said low unemployment and strong wage gains, which make people feel wealthier, are prompting Utahns to spend, spend, spend.

Lower gas prices, he said, also are persuading people to buy that extra gift for themselves or someone else.

"Just like a wage increase, lower gas prices help people feel better about their financial situation, so they spend more," he said.

Many stores, such as Target, reported sales were up substantially over last year, especially in Utah.

"We expected it to be busy but it really exceeded our expectations," said Matthew Mandros, an executive team leader at Super Target in Centerville.

While some consumers are simply buying more, others are buying bigger-ticket items, said National Retail Federation spokeswoman Kathy Grannis.

"The promotions this year were really focused around things like laptops and flat-screen TVs," she said.

What else were they buying?

The most popular items nationwide bought over the Thanksgiving weekend were clothing and accessories, CDs, DVDs, videos or video games, consumer electronics or computer-related accessories and toys.

In Utah, the competition for the best buys on these types of merchandise can make it hard to score a deal.

Alyssa Mallory of Sandy had high hopes of buying at least some of the heavily discounted toys advertised over the holiday weekend.

But after trips to Toys "R" Us and Target, the mother of two walked away largely disappointed.

"It was crazy out there; most of the good deals were all gone," she said.

One part of the problem: People are shopping earlier and earlier, in some cases forming lines hours before a really big sale.

Retailers, which once considered 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. an early opening on a big shopping day, are now pushing it back to 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.

According to the federation's survey, about 36 percent of shoppers out on Black Friday arrived at their first store before 6 a.m.

Then there is super-early. Utah was among a handful of states in which merchants are experimenting with a much earlier start to the day.

Fashion Place mall in Murray, owned by General Growth Properties, opened its doors for the first time at 12:01 a.m. on Black Friday, luring thousands of people who vied for giveaways and "doorbuster" deals.