GREENVILLE, S.C. -- It doesn't matter where you go, the sights and sounds of Christmas are already evident and it's not even Thanksgiving yet.

However, it already looks a lot like the day after Thanksgiving, which is also known as Black Friday. Store managers at Haywood Mall in Greenville are pushing early holiday sales, and homeowners are receiving piles of coupons slipped in the creases of newspapers.

"I think the best thing is to find the deal and search for deals now before Black Friday," Etta Edge, a shopper said Monday afternoon.

According to administrators with the National Retail Federation, store owners and major retail chains are enticing customers to shop early.

Some shoppers said the early marketing is working.

"You just have to spend what you think you can afford and what you have," Edge said.

The NRF reports store managers are marketing sales now instead of waiting until Black Friday because of the economic slump.

"Yeah, there are some good deals. I wish I had a lot more money to actually get a few more things," Grant McClure said as he carried a couple of shopping bags through Haywood Mall.

McClure said he has to watch every penny.

"It's getting harder to make a living," he said.

Not only are customers trying to cash in on early holiday bargains, but they said they are also going to specialty shops -- like O.P. Taylor's Toy Store -- to find unique gifts and good deals.

"They started shopping in July and we haven't seen any sign of a letup at all," said Bill Gaines, the store manager.

Gaines said business is not only steady, but by the end of the holiday season, the store could get a nice boost in sales -- unlike other major retail shops. He said they have more to offer and employees know the merchandise well.

"They know their age levels, they know the price ranges and they're willing to get out from behind the counter," he said.

He said business could be good because more shoppers like Amy Freytag are ditching the mall.

"We've decided just one gift or two gifts per person," Freytag said. "So, I think we're going to be cutting it short this year."

Either way, shoppers say can find early deals both at Haywood Mall and at O.P. Taylor's Toy Store.