Conventional wisdom suggests that Black Friday is all about deals, products and pre-dawn shopping extravaganzas.

Nathan Bomey | AnnArbor.com

But it's also about family. Several shoppers said this morning that family fun was a big part of their Black Friday adventures.

For Saline resident Jane Petersen and her daughter Carolyn, deals are important -- but not everything.

"It’s more tradition," Jane said. "This is a lot of fun."

Of course, hot deals are hard to pass up. Jane and Carolyn arrived at Kohl's at 3:40 a.m., 20 minutes before it opened.

At 4:30 a.m. they were already standing in line in the electronics department at the Meijer store on Ann Arbor-Saline Road, waiting for a Nintendo Wii. The deal? A Wii and a $50 Meijer gift card for $199.99.

"This is what she came for," Jane said, pointing to the Wii secured safely in Carolyn's plastic bag.

Alecia Powell, a Canton resident, was ready to check out at Meijer at 6:30 a.m. with several items from the toy section. Her family was scattered throughout the store, delaying her exodus from Meijer, but she was in good spirits.

"My family dragged me because it’s a tradition," she said with a smile.

Among the items in her basket: a Crayola Crayon Maker for her kids.

"We’ll see how melting plastic works in my house," she said.

Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.