Before Black Friday, holiday shopping begins in earnest

ST. LOUIS – Shoppers were looking for great deals ahead of Black Friday.

“Oh, great deals. I mean if you are a nature lover. I mean, even if you’re not a nature lover, there’s still great women’s clothing there,” said Ken Schlemer.

He knows a thing or two about the deals at Bass Pro Shops this time of year.

“Oh my God, we’ve been coming here for 15 or 20 years. As long as this place is open, we’ll come here every Thanksgiving,” Schlemer said.

His tradition started after he went out on Black Friday. “We were just amazed at how many people were standing outside so early in the morning and in this cold weather. “It was just unbelievable,” Schlemer said.

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“Usually they stand in a row. They start early and line up. We’ll get them in here and take care of them. It’s a fun day,” said Randy Nelson, general manager of St. Charles Bass Pro. “The customers are great; they have a fun time with it. Like I said, it’s a tradition for a lot of people to come out and do it.”

Nelson said they are ready for the crowd on Friday.

“It is stable that people are leaving the house. They want to come and take a free photo with Santa. Come by and do a little shopping,” he said.

He said they had the gift cards for the first 250 people in line and they were ready for the crowd on Friday, but said it was also special to see families on Thanksgiving.

“It’s a great mix of customers having fun. There are a lot of traditions for people to come here on Thanksgiving,” Nelson said.

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