Shoppers wait hours for Black Friday shopping, say wait “worth it”

EAST RIDGE, Tenn. (WDEF)- Black Friday started earlier than Midnight Friday for several folks.

Candice Jackson was the first of hundreds of shoppers who waited throughout the night to get first dibs on the numerous deals offered by Bass Pro Shops on Black Friday.

“It’s actually the first time I’m first in line for anything like this,” she said.

A group of shoppers excited to enter the Bass Pro Shops early on Black Friday in East Ridge.

Bass Pro Shops gave away gift cards ranging from $10 to $500 to the first 250 people in line.

Jackson said she arrived to camp out beginning at 9:30 on Thanksgiving night.

The store’s doors did not open until 5 a.m. on Black Friday.

“It’s a lot more fun to me to be around people, especially when it starts getting frustrating like when someone grabs something before you can get it,” she said.

The hustle and bustle of Black Friday was on full display in the checkout line, as stretched all the way to the back of the store at its peak for a short time, just showing how many people braved the cold to come out and shop here at Bass Pro Shops.

Another shopper, Audra Leonard, said her motivation to wait outside starting at 11:15 p.m. on Thanksgiving night, was, “The gift card! The gift card. $500 dollars, why not? I’ve got nothing else better to do… I hope to buy some guns and a toboggin, because I forgot to bring mine.’

A pair of shoppers, Debby Inouye and Rhonda Ford, who arrived at the store at 3 a.m. and were already 86th in line, said, “You meet people, and you just have a lot of fun in line just to get in here.”

Ford added, “To get good deals,” to which Inouye agreed.

Greg Norman, the store’s manager, says that given consumer concerns about inflation, it’s important for retailers to meet customers where they are at even as more shoppers choose online shopping.

Norman said, “We obviously feel like we offer what are great values in our assortments, so we not only have our premier brands but our private brand in store. Anything that is Bass Pro is of significant value to our customers.”

He also adds it’s been important to position themselves amid world events.

“With an election year you always see a bit of trepidation and a little bit more of conservative spending habits, but all of that is again as we through that time of the year and we are getting into winter, we are seeing an uptick in consumer and customer confidence and that’s driving people back into the stores,” he said.

For customers, they seemed more driven by the pure experience.

Ford said of those who prefer online shopping, “They’re almost a hermit! It’s no fun.”

Inouye added, “What we are doing right now, you can’t do that online!”

“You socialize, meet new people, and make new friends,” said Ford.