Central Pa. Black Friday shoppers wait in line before 5 a.m.: ‘It’s the adrenaline’

For some, putting up a Christmas tree and stringing lights signals the start of the holiday season. Others kick it off by standing in line before the crack of dawn on Black Friday.

Hundreds of shoppers did just that Friday at Bass Pros Shops in Swatara Township, where a line snaked around the store’s entrance at the Harrisburg Mall before a 5 a.m. opening.

While the retailer, among other stores, has been advertising Black Friday sales all week, it sweetened the deal Friday with a raft of special hot picks too good to pass up.

Shoppers came for $9.98 fleece shirts, $359.99 rifles and $199.98 compound bows. Part of the appeal, the first 250 shoppers in line received a mystery gift card valued between $10 and $500.

“People like to go Black Friday shopping. It’s fun. It’s part of the holiday tradition,” said Madison Riccio of Hummelstown. “I think it’s the adrenaline of going to the store and getting something, and you don’t have to wait for it in the mail.”

She arrived at 10 p.m. Thursday with family, including her brother, Nicholas Riccio. They were second in line and waited with chairs and snacks in hopes of landing deals on camouflage and fishing lures.

“We just got nothing else to do really,” Nicholas Riccio said, adding they hit Bass Pro’s Black Friday sale last year.

Bass Pro’s general manager Marwane Selmane reported no issues as shoppers filed into the store. He added they come for the deals, especially sales on rifles.

The store’s lines are an unusual sight, given shopping early the day after Thanksgiving appears to be a dying tradition as retailers spread out sales and push online discounts.

This morning, several retailers including Target, Walmart, Macy’s, Best Buy and Hershey Tanger Outlets opened early. At Target at the High Pointe Commons in Swatara Township, three people stood outside the doors around 5:35 a.m. ahead of the 6 a.m. opening.

Increasingly, the entire weekend is viewed as a shopping opportunity.

This year, about 182 million people — or, about 15.7 million more than last year — are projected to shop in-store and online over the holiday weekend, which technically stretches from Thanksgiving Day to Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics report.

The NRF says the weekend marks some of the busiest shopping days of the year, with about 74% of holiday shoppers planning to shop during the five-day weekend. Among those surveyed, the reasons vary from finding deals to tradition.

Deals certainly drove shoppers to Bass Pro.

“Cheap rifles,” said Dakota Lucas, of Hegins, adding he hoped to pick one on sale for $150 off the regular price. “We’re cheap. We like the deals.”

He showed up at the store around 1 a.m. with Sean Baer, also of Hegins, and they spent their time talking, eating and trying to stay warm. For others, more than just the deals lured them to the store.

“For the gift cards,” said Tiffany Sherrick of Lower Paxton Township. She said her family planned to pick up jeans and thermals, and then head to PetSmart for cat litter and dog treats.

Others like Dylan and Katy Yost, of Lower Paxton Township, showed up minutes before the 5 a.m. opening. They had no desire to wake up any earlier, as Dylan Yost noted others in line “are more dedicated than us.”

After shopping at Bass Pro, the couple planned to spend the morning patronizing other stores including Walmart, Target and outlets.

“It’s a fun activity every year. It’s more of a tradition than anything else,” Dylan Yost said.