CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – Thousands of shoppers were out at the Chesterfield outlets looking for deep discounts on their favorite brands Friday.
“We’ve probably been standing in line for what do you think? 25 minutes maybe,” Anya Markalle said. She and her family drove from Jefferson City for Black Friday shopping. “We’ve never done it, so it’s just different, and you get to just experience it.”
The discounts at some stores were up to 50 percent off.
“There were lines outside of UGGs, Nike, Kate Spade, and Coach. That was at 4:30 a.m.; we opened at 6 a.m., and all the lines had doubled,” Director of Marketing at St. Louis Premium Outlets Todd DuFour said.
DuFour said the parking lot reached 100 percent capacity before noon on Friday. Along with the additional shoppers, they doubled the police presence.
“We work really closely with the Chesterfield Police Department, and we work with a special division to prevent retail theft. So we are in meetings with them weekly trying to figure out how we make a safer shopping experience for all,” DuFour said.
Families agreed that waiting in line and taking home the product the same day is better than waiting on shipping.
“Online shopping I still enjoy, of course, but I just feel like it is taking away from the true experience of it all. Human interaction, human association is always, always fantastic. It’s always better,” Alexander Ross said. “I just don’t want the online industry ruining, you know, the brick and mortar in particular.”