Скачать или смотреть Early Black Friday shoppers in Brainerd/Baxter MN - Brainerd Dispatch MN

BAXTER — Area stores had the traditional long lines outside their doors for the start to the holiday shopping season even as the breeze and single digits made for one of the colder Black Fridays in recent memory.

About 20 people stood in line outside Menards and more waited in running vehicles in the parking lot at least two hours before the store opened at 6 a.m. Before 3 a.m. people were lining up outside Herberger's in Brainerd and Kohl's in Baxter. And they were gathering at Walmart in Baxter even earlier.

At J.C. Penney Co. in Baxter,Brian Kinsey, store manager said. "We're expecting a strong gain. In 16 years of retail this is the most excited I've ever been. Since back-to-school time, the feeling has been great here."

At Target in Baxter, the sheer size of the crowd was stunning to shoppers who stopped in their tracks as they neared the store. The wide line stretched from the doors down the length of the store and into the parking lot. Arriving vehicles created mini traffic jams and people ran to the Target entrance after parking along side streets or in Bonanza's parking lot.

By RENEE RICHARDSON
Senior Reporter/Brainerd Dispatch