Tryptophan was trumped by the adrenaline rush of early holiday shopping this Thanksgiving.

Spurred by major discounts at big-box retailers, hundreds of Bowling Green-area shoppers bagged the post-turkey nap and lined up at stores that opened Thursday evening.

Forget Black Friday. This was Green Thursday as shoppers came with visions of deep discounts saving them some greenbacks and retailers slashed prices to levels that Scrooge himself would love, all in an effort to lure customers away from the convenience of online shopping.

The strategy appeared to be working.

The Christmas shopping season started before the mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie were digested as bargain-hunters like Joe Bailey of Alvaton dashed away from the dinner table to the checkout line.

Bailey, 58, made it to Target on Campbell Lane two hours before the store’s 6 p.m. opening and was at the front of a line of about 200 eager gift-buyers. Shivering on the chilly evening, Bailey said it would be worth it if he was able to get the perfect gifts for his five grandchildren.

“I’m here for iPads and Apple Watches,” said Bailey, who feasted on turkey and dressing with 30 of his family members before his shopping foray.

“They have about a $100 savings on the iPad and about $80 on the watch. You need to make that money stretch,” he said.

In a year when the economy is healthy and the stock market is breaking records, retailers are looking to cash in. If a Google consumer survey conducted in August is accurate, cashiers may be busier than Santa’s elves for the next month. That survey predicted that consumer spending over the Thanksgiving weekend would increase by 47 percent over the same period in 2016.

Evidence that the survey could be on the mark could be found Thursday at Bowling Green’s Best Buy. Before the electronics retailer opened its doors at 5 p.m., nearly 300 shoppers were lined up around the corner from the front entrance facing Campbell Lane all the way to the end of the building facing Scottsville Road.

Most, like early arrival Justin Harris of Franklin, were lured by such bargains as a 50-inch television for $179.

“I really just come for the adrenaline rush,” said Harris, who showed up at 4 a.m. “It’s fun to be one of the first in line and get the bargains.”

Harris, 26, who has camped out overnight in years past, skipped the Thanksgiving meal this year and instead cooked hotdogs on a grill he brought with him.

“They don’t have any bathrooms, but we’re making it,” he said, just moments before Best Buy opened its doors, letting in 15 or so customers at a time.

Right behind Harris, C.J. Denson of Bowling Green was looking for the same bargains as his friend and fellow early-riser.

“I always come to Best Buy,” said Denson, 28. “They usually have the best deals.”

Gesturing to a flyer touting the 50-inch TV for $179, Denson said: “I couldn’t afford this yesterday, so I’m here today. I’m buying it for myself.”

Despite the big turnout, shopping seemed to be going smoothly at Best Buy, thanks to the staggered entrances and the flyers that were handed out giving those in line dibs on certain items.

Retired Warren County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Daniel Alexander, working security at the store for a sixth straight year, said: “I’ve never had any problems here. They’ve got it down pat.”

Right down to the food truck in the parking lot to feed the shoppers who may have missed out on a Thanksgiving meal.

Bowling Green’s Pop’s Street Eats truck was set up from 5 p.m. Thursday until 1 a.m. Friday and was scheduled to be back again during the day Friday, serving pulled pork sandwiches and rotisserie chicken.

“I’ve never done anything like this on Black Friday weekend,” Pop’s part-owner Mike Wilson said. “But I thought about asking Best Buy, and the store manager told me to come on down.”