SAWGRASS MILLS, Fla. – They swap a family holiday for a charter-bus trek and seven hours at a shopping mall. They trudge miles through bargain-hungry crowds on one of the most cutthroat shopping days of the year.

They call themselves Combat Shoppers.

"We would rather shop than eat," says Judy Kasten of Okeechobee, Fla.

Twenty-eight female shoppers – school children to seniors – from Okeechobee, a cattle-ranching town in central Florida, gathered at 8 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving. Two hours later their bus hit Sunrise, Fla., home of the megamall Sawgrass Mills.

"I've got a wallet full of plastic. This could be dangerous," Kasten says. She and her fellow Combat Shoppers fan out, fading into the crowd. That's not hard to do, considering the mile-long mall is overrun by 150,000 shoppers – three times a typical day's traffic and 15% more than last year.

That's a good sign for retailers, who watch the day closely. The Friday after Thanksgiving is one of the biggest shopping days of the year, and the first major indicator of the holiday season. "It tells retailers what the mood of the consumer is," says Alan Millstein of Fashion Network Report.

This year the mood is good. Based on Friday's business, analysts expect shoppers to spend 5% to 7% more this season than last – not quite last year's euphoric 8% holiday gain, but far from the dismal 0.4% increase a year earlier.

Retailers, who depend on the fourth quarter, should be pleased. Department stores can earn half their annual profits during this season, and toy and jewelry stores a far greater percentage.

Recession-shaken shoppers are still hell-bent on bargains. Outlet stores, which offer name-brand goods straight from makers and boast prices half those of department stores, are reaping the benefits. Since the first outlet mall, VF Factory Outlet in Reading, Pa., opened in 1970, the total has grown to 300.

Another 20 to 50 complexes – including Sawgrass Mills – mix manufacturers' outlets with discount stores such as Marshalls.

Outlets are expected to sell about $9.2 billion in goods this year, up 11% from last year, and nearly double a 6% increase in all U.S. retail.

Friday, about a dozen buses visited Sawgrass Mills; the mall draws 3,000 buses a year. U.S. shoppers-by-bus spend about $250 each; foreign bus tourists spend $600 or more.

The Okeechobee shoppers paid $15 each to join the Combat Shoppers tour group, put together by a local travel agent.

But "what's growing is not the concept of simply getting on a coach and going to an outlet center, but making a visit to an outlet center part of a tour," says John Stachnik, former National Tour Association president.

His Mayflower Tours agency in Downers Grove, Ill., offers a four-day, $449 tour combining gambling theater and other sights with shopping at Mall of America.

The Bloomington, Minn., retail and entertainment center receives 12,000 buses a year. U.S. tour groups, overall, shopped to the tune of $1.3 billion last year, says the NTA.

To grab passing tour buses, outlet malls often spring up near favorite destinations – Orlando, Fla.; Branson, Mo.; Las Vegas. Sawgrass Mills, near Fort Lauderdale, claims 15 million shoppers a year, half of them tourists. Belz Factory Outlet World in Orlando counts 12 million a year.

By comparison, a traditional destination like Orlando's Universal Studios attracts about 7 million people a year. Walt Disney World still outdraws the malls at 30 million a year.

Hardcore Combat Shoppers may not care, but some outlet centers add showy entertainment to shopping.

At Belz's new mall in Las Vegas, fog machines shroud the center court every hour.

A $500,000 laser system creates 40-foot sculptures of light. This month, a glowing Santa Claus looms huge enough to terrify kids.

Mechanical alligators and sea gulls inhabit Sawgrass Mills' indoor lagoon. "Fa-la-la-la-la," the gators chanted Friday.

Mills manager Daniel Cetina might have chimed in. He thinks the typical shopper is spending a bit more this year.

"The toy business is going absolutely bonkers," he says. "And we're still seeing a lot of apparel" sales.

Shoppers at Sawgrass Mills say they're holding holiday spending near last year's levels and buying sensible presents. "They have linens and bedspreads at very good prices," says Joni Ard of Okeechobee. "I'm practical when it comes to shopping."

But Ard's daughter Kristin, 13, has $15 smoldering in her pocket after three fruitless hours of shopping.

"I will get something before the day is over. I have to," she says. "Someone has to be crazy not to buy stuff here."

Kristin has lots to learn about Combat Shopping. "You can't just come here without a game plan," Kasten says. "You have to know your prices. Not everything here is a deal."

She stops for mid-day fuel at the Mills' vast food court, and then says to friend Joy Parrish: "Ready to attack again?"

The two storm a women's clothing store. Kasten grabs the tag on a silk cowboy shirt: $39.99. "Pooh," she says. She's seen it elsewhere for $25.

True Combat Shoppers gather intelligence, Kasten and Parrish say. Veteran shoppers compare prices in catalogs, sale ads and stores.

"They're very educated," says Marsha Litrenta, manager of the Mills' Spiegel outlet. Shoppers "know their prices, and they want brand names," she says.

Litrenta predicts the day's take will be 20% more than a year ago. This year, the store has added toys, electronics and outerwear.

"Much better than last year," agrees Debbie Buanno of Westport Ltd. women's clothes. Hot sellers: anything marked down.

Customers stand eight deep at the registers in Marshalls discount store. "We're running about even with last year," says manager Ned Jones. Unlike most Sawgrass retailers, the store didn't post price cuts.

Some retailers grumble. Shoppers aren't spending, says Shari Leitstein at the No Nonsense hosiery outlet: "We are down 25% from last year."

By 5 p.m., foot traffic begins to crawl. The mall is open until 9:30 p.m., but the Combat Shoppers are boarding their bus. "I gotta have a drink," groans a voice in the back.

Joni and Kristin Ard seem pleased with the day's booty. Joni spent about $450, mostly on clothes, shoes and toys for her daughters. Kristin clutches a new purse, earrings and "some really neat jeans" she bought with cash from Mom.

Worn down by an estimated five miles of walking, Judy Kasten shows off a red wool blazer: $29 at Spiegel, marked down twice from $88. Kasten took another 10% off with a coupon the mall gives bus riders.

She figures she spent $200 today – "not bad for all I got." She has belts and "sensible" clothing for her brother, a jacket for a friend and "this real slinky red dress to wear to Las Vegas. For $10."

Ard and Kasten say there's lots more Christmas shopping to do. But, says Kasten, "We've got a month."