Shoppers prepared to find Black Friday deals

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A steady flow of shoppers searched high and low for red sale tags at Bass Pro Shop on Thursday night.

It was one of the few stores in Nashville opened for shoppers on Thanksgiving this year after the COVID-19 pandemic changed how many people buy holiday gifts.

Shoppers like Kim Dickerson said they were able to easily move around the store to get early Black Friday deals. Although Dickerson said she was not searching for anything in particular because she finished buying all the presents for her five grandchildren two months ago.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” Dickerson said about shopping online. “My mail carrier probably hates me because I have so many packaged delivered every day, but it’s so much easier.”

Other families wanted to carry on Thanksgiving night shopping traditions while building new family memories.

Jerry Sizemore, his wife and two kids decided to travel to Nashville for Thanksgiving from their home in eastern Kentucky. They made sure to get a photo with Santa and let their kids tell the man in the red suit what is on their wish lists.

“They grow up too quick,” Sizemore said. “You’ve got to get out and make it happen when they are little.”

Many shoppers said they were happy to return to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic closed many stores over the past two holiday seasons. Smaller crowds made it easy to find a good parking spot and then search up and down aisles.

“It is nice to have things open back up,” Logan Bank said. “You don’t have to just sit online. You can come out and see the products you are wanting to buy, and touch them, and make sure it’s the right deal for you.”

Bass Pro Shop employees are prepared to return to the store around 3 a.m. on Black Friday to ensure all the shelves are stocked up. They said people normally line up for hours to get doorbusters and expect a large crowd again this year.

Copyright 2022 WSMV. All rights reserved.