Toy R Us in Pearlridge Center opened its doors Thursday earlier than ever, in keeping with a growing national holiday shopping trend.

The national chain, which opened at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving last year, welcomed shoppers three hours earlier this year — at 5 p.m.

"I’m a happy camper," said Jane Bonilla, an Aiea resident whose family was the first in line at 7 p.m. Tuesday. "We got the main stuff we wanted."

A number of other stores in Hawaii launched "Black Friday" sales on Thanksgiving evening, including Walmart, Kmart, Best Buy, Sports Authority, Macy’s, Sears, Target and Ross Dress for Less.

Before the opening, the line of customers for Toys R Us snaked around the parking lot, extending the length of more than three football fields, with some people in portable chairs, sitting next to ice chests and in the shade of umbrellas.

"We’re very encouraged by what we’re seeing," said David Palmer, the store manager. "We have very loyal guests, and it looks like they’re turning out again this year. … This event is our biggest day."

The store will stay open for 31 hours, until midnight today.

Palmer said every category of toys in the store has "something that’s big" this holiday season, including a motorized vehicle called Crazy Kart, kick scooters, the video game "Skylander SWAP Force" and Doc McStuffins dolls.

Bonilla said she has eight children and eight grandchildren, and with discounts of more than 50 percent on toy items, she expects to save a couple thousand dollars in holiday shopping.

"Everything is over half-off. It’s the cheapest," she said.

Bonilla and several of her daughters commandeered four shopping carts. Each was assigned a toy-acquiring task.

"We went last night (Wednesday) to see where everything is so we can go and get it quickly," she said.

Bonilla said she has been going to Toys R Us and other big-box stores for 10 years.

Krista Rego, a Waianae resident and the second in line, also said she’s been coming to Toys R Us for the holiday sale for 10 years.

"It’s fun. It’s exciting," said Rego, who waited in line with husband Randy.

With Toys R Us limiting the number of customers in the store to 350, shoppers rushed to gather sale items but were generally courteous and were not pressed shoulder to shoulder.

"We prepare for the best- and worst-case scenario," Palmer said. "We try to make it a pleasant experience."