Shoppers hit stores on Thanksgiving

ASHWAUBENON - Shawano’s Mike Klaver wanted to make sure he was near the front of the line before Shopko opened its doors in Ashwaubenon on Thursday night.

“I've been up since 3 in the morning and I'm not planning on dozing off until probably about 8 tomorrow morning,” said Klaver.

Klaver got in line about two hours before the store was scheduled to open at 9 p.m. He says the wait will be worth it if he gets what is on his wish list.

“I'm going to get a camera from here,” said Klaver.

Shopko employees started arriving to the store about two hours before customers were allowed in.

“All the preparation is where the work is, the two or three weeks beforehand getting everything to the sales floor and preparing the store for the customers,” said Dale Adams, the store manager.

Last year, Shopko opened its doors at midnight on Black Friday. They say customers pushed for an even earlier opening, which prompted the Thanksgiving night start.  And while some may not like the Thursday night start, the Black Friday frenzy is something some retail employees embrace.

“I actually had employees that didn't get scheduled for Black Friday overnight and they came to us and said could I work?” said Adams.

As for Klaver, he says the early start to Black Friday has its pros and cons.

“Well you get in and out of here faster but I'm not going to get to bed any sooner,” said Klaver.

Shopko’s Black Friday sales last until noon on Friday.