VIENNA - After a day of stuffing themselves with turkey, residents will start thinking about stuffing their stockings as they go shopping early Friday morning.

Amid the deals and bargains luring shoppers to the stores, law-enforcement and retailers are urging safety and civility.

Called "Black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Shoppers stand in line, many overnight at the stores, to be the first in to take advantage of a special offer.

Toys-R-Us at the Grand Central Mall will open midnight tonight. Holiday sales at Wal-Mart begin 5 a.m. Friday and the mall will open at 5 a.m. Friday, although the anchor stores with outside access might have earlier hours.

Grand Central Avenue will see its highest traffic count of the year on Friday, which increases the potential for traffic accidents, Vienna police say.

''It is going to be congested,'' said Lt. George Young of the Vienna Police Department.

Vienna police Chief Steve Stephens said they usually have ample staff during the day shift to cover any situation, but they will have an additional officer out as part of an aggressive driving grant for traffic duty.

Young advises shoppers to give themselves plenty of time to get where they are going and not be in a rush.

''We cannot stress enough the need for patience,'' he said. ''There are going to be a lot of people going to the same place.''

Traditionally people have been civil to one another while waiting in lines at area stores in the early hours before they open up, Young said.

However, some people could be on edge due to the popularity of certain items.

''It all depends on what is hot,'' Young said. ''We just ask that people be courteous and patient. The shopping season is just starting and it will be here for a month.''

The mall wants the shoppers, but wants them to be safe, too.

On an average Friday after Thanksgiving, 45,000-55,000 shoppers are in the mall, said Katrina Stephens, mall marketing director.

''Of course, we want shoppers to come out and support our retailers, find great deals and leave happy,'' she said. ''A lot of shoppers may get caught up in the rush around them, but the main thing to remember is to relax and have fun and everything else will fall into place.

''Just as we do any other day of the year, we will make sure we have ample security on hand to patrol the interior and exterior of the mall," she said. "We always do our absolute best to assure that our shoppers have a safe and pleasant experience when they visit our center.''

Young advises women to keep their purses secure and not put them in the child's seating area of the shopping cart. A thief can make off with a purse in the brief time it takes to look away and other distractions, he said.

Young also advises shoppers using credit cards to immediately put the card back in their wallet or purse so someone else can't get their hands on it. People also need to be aware of their surroundings and of people when they are walking out to their car with any purchases, he said.

He advises people to shop with a friend or family member to have someone around to keep an eye out for anything unusual if they become distracted.

''You are less likely to have problems,'' Young said.

As people drive from store to store, Young tells people to make sure their windows are rolled completely up and all of the doors are locked before they go in.

He also advises people to keep any purchases locked up in the trunk or put them somewhere out of sight of anyone who might be outside the vehicle looking in.

Parkersburg police Chief Joe Martin said shopping on Black Friday comes down to common sense.

Shoppers should not make more purchases than they can easily carry from store to store and enough time is needed to get from place to place, he said.

''If you are driving, you are going to get there no matter what,'' he said. ''Patience is the key thing.''