PLEASANT PRAIRIE — If good things come to those who wait, the crowd at Prime Outlets in Pleasant Prairie should get some pretty sweet rewards.

Hundreds of people lined up outside of the shopping center by Thursday evening, hours before the mall was scheduled to open for its annual Midnight Madness —and the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season.

The event began at the strike of midnight on Black Friday, so-named by economists as it’s when most retailer’s account books turn positive, or “in the black,” for the year.

At the front of Thursday’s line were three sisters from Kenosha: Amanda, Lauren and Kristen Kangas. Amanda drove her sisters to the shopping center at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, almost 10 hours before the doors to Prime Outlets opened.

“It’s definitely all about layers and blankets,” Amanda said of surviving the long wait until midnight.

The sisters, huddled in blankets and chairs as the temperature dipped into the low 30s, said they showed up so early in anticipation of free giveaways. The first 500 people in line received a free gift bag that was guaranteed to come with pajamas and other items, while several included shopping spree certificates.

Those gifts were in the sights of Midnight Madness veterans Kirsten Smith of Ingleside, Ill. and Christal Ackerman of Chicago, who arrived at 6:30 p.m.

The women made their own shirts, showing their attendance at the past two Midnight Madness events, and Smith carried a plastic inflatable toy declaring their spot in line “The Party Zone.”

“We know when to be here and when not to be here,” Smith said, in regards to being at the front of the line not necessarily improving chances for additional gifts. Though Smith and Ackerman said they had failed to win the shopping sprees in past years.

What the women did learn was preparation, with two thermoses of hot chocolate on hand and warmed shoes and socks. Though Smith said there was another key to staying warm.

“The more fun we have, the warmer we’ll be,” Smith said.

Arletha Carroll of Milwaukee said the first time she attended the Prime Outlets opening she arrived right as the doors opened. This year, she wanted to move up the line and arrived shortly before 6 p.m.

“I thought I was going to be the first in line,” Carroll said. “But it’s just about having fun.”

Sue Mateja of Kenosha ended up second in line, at the urging of her daughter, Gina Winiewicz of Lindenhurst, Ill. They arrived at 3:30 p.m. and looked forward to some rewards besides gift bags.

“Warmth is what I am looking forward to,” Mateja said.

“They said there were free cookies,” Winiewicz said.

Latonya Watson of Milwaukee and Joella Weber of Mukwonago were staying warm with a portable propane heater, a trick Joella said she learned from ice fishing.

“It’s nice and warm,” Weber said of their first two-and-a-half hours in line.

Christa Kremer, marketing manager for Prime Outlets, said it this year’s line began earlier and grew faster than last year. Kremer said, in a still-struggling economy, people are eager to find the best bargains they can this shopping season.

“In the last year I think people really understood the value of the dollar and they can really see that value here,” Kremer said.