Rock 'n' roll music, free pumpkin pie and big discounts will greet holiday shoppers at 11 p.m. Thursday at the "midnight" opening of stores at Santa Fe Fashion Outlets.

Of the more than 40 merchants at the south-side shopping center, most will open their doors at midnight (or perhaps an hour earlier) and remain open through normal closing hours Black Friday, Nov. 27, which is the day retailers hope to see their sales go from red, or money losing, to black, or profitable.

"We're encouraging all our stores to open up" early on Black Friday, said Ann Ackerman, marketing manager of the Florida-based of Awe Talisman, which owns Santa Fe Fashion Outlets. "This is the first time we're doing this in Santa Fe. "It has proven successful across the country, and there's no reason it shouldn't be successful in Santa Fe."

Ackerman herself will be in the restaurant space at Santa Fe Fashion Outlets dishing out pumpkin pie to shoppers.

In addition to pie, "there will be radio remotes (provided by 99.5 Magic FM) and music all night long," she said.

Santa Fe's other two large retail centers, Santa Fe Place and DeVargas Center, will also mark the beginning of the holiday shopping season, just not as early as Santa Fashion Outlets.

"We're going to open the mall at 7 a.m.," Black Friday morning, said Jolene Mauer, marketing manager of Santa Fe Place. "Our anchors, JC Penney and Sears, plan to open at 4 a.m., and Dillard's will open at 8 a.m. Most of the other stores will follow our (mall) hours."

Santa Claus arrives at 10 a.m. at Santa Fe Place, and there will be a "goody bag" giveaway for those who bring a new toy or blanket to the mall for the Salvation Army, Mauer said. Santa's workshop will be in the former Shoe Pavilion space, across from the closed Mervyn's store, with arts and crafts on display and for sale.

DeVargas Center is "doing things a little bit differently," said mall manager Katy Fitzgerald. "We're not necessarily discount focused."

DeVargas will hold a Christmas show Dec. 5 from 3 to 6 p.m. In addition, the mall will give shoppers coupons worth $25 for those who spend at least $75 at one or more mall merchants.

Nationwide, retailers should expect shoppers to be serious bargain hunters, according to the National Retail Federation. According to a survey, customers will be spending less, shopping for sales more often, using more coupons and putting up last year's decorations.

Stores that will be "popular destinations" for shoppers include discount stores, department stores, grocery stores, the Internet, clothing stores and electronics stores.

To cope, retailers have cut back on inventory, NRF said, adding, "once the most popular items are gone, shoppers won't have anywhere to get them, so if there was ever a holiday season to buy early, this is it."

Among the stores at Santa Fe Fashion Outlets taking part in what the center calls its "holiday shopping madness event" is Bass and Co.

Thursday night, "We're opening at 11 p.m.," store manager Veronica Valdez said. "Hopefully, we'll be busy. This is first time I've done it — I don't know what to expect."

To encourage shoppers, Bass has a special offer — buy one item, get two free, Valdez said, an offer that includes some luggage and clothing.

The Nike Factory Store will also open at 11 p.m. Thursday night with a 20 percent discount on a shopper's entire purchase, while Fragrance Outlet is hoping customers won't hesitate to spend, a manager said.

At the Van Heusen Factory Outlet, "We're opening at 11 p.m. Thanksgiving night, actually," salesman Elias Holloway said. "I will be working. It's going to be very interesting." Van Heusen will have 50 percent off specials, and maybe an extra discount on top of that.

Not all of the stores at Santa Fe Fashion Outlets are going to be open for the "holiday shopping madness" event, as Awe Talisman Companies calls it.

Harry & David, for instance, will open at 8 a.m. on Black Friday morning.