ST. LOUIS – Shoppers were out looking for excellent deals ahead of Black Friday.
“Oh, great deals. I mean, if you’re an outdoorsman. I mean, even if you’re not an outdoorsman, they still have great ladies’ clothes,” Ken Schlemer said.
He knows a thing or two about the deals at Bass Pro Shops this time of year.
“We have been coming here for, oh my gosh, 15 or 20 years. As long as this place has been opened up, we come here every Thanksgiving Day,” Schlemer said.
His tradition started after going out on Black Friday. “We were just amazed at the number of people that were standing outside that early in the morning and that cold. It was just unbelievable,” Schlemer said.
“They usually line up. They’ll start early and line up. We’ll get them in here and take care of them. It’s a fun day,” Randy Nelson, general manager of St. Charles Bass Pro, said. “The customers are great; they have a fun time with it. Like I said, it is tradition for a lot of people to come out and do it.”
Nelson said they’re ready for Friday’s crowd.
“It’s steady with people getting out of the house. They want to come in and get a free picture with Santa. Come in and do a little shopping,” he said.
He said they’ve got the gift cards ready for the first 250 people in line, and they’re ready for Friday’s crowd, but said seeing families out on Thanksgiving is special too.
“It is a great mix of customers that are having fun. A lot of traditions of people coming in on Thanksgiving Day,” Nelson said.