Elliot said the line was “a little overwhelming” when he walked into work this morning at 4:30 a.m.
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He said the store, located at 5500 Cornerstone North Blvd., gave away around $8,000 in prizes, including gift cards, a firearm, a knife and a meat smoker.
McKenzie Guidugli, a resident of Cincinnati suburb Fairfield, said she and her friends got in line around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Equipped with blankets, a propane heater and coffee, the group waited through the night.
“We just did it for the fun of it,” she said.
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Guidugli said she’s looking for a good deal on a BB gun and a crossbow.
Others came out specifically for the advertised giveaways. Nathan Brown, a resident of Wilmington, drove more than an hour to Cabela’s and was admittedly disappointed to only receive a $10 gift card.
“They said free gun, and I came running,” Brown said.
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Brown said this will probably be the last time he comes to Cabela’s for Black Friday. He wasn’t, however, surprised by the long line of interested shoppers.
“Oh yeah, this is a redneck community,” he said. “It’s Ohio.”
Shoppers were already waiting outside of the stores by Thursday evening.
About 10 people were camping out in line at the Cabela’s near the Liberty Center in West Chester Twp. by 8p.m. Jared Osborne, a resident of Sharonville — a Cincinnati suburb — came out with two of his friends. The shoppers planned to sit in foldable chairs for the night, and even brought a mini cornhole set to pass the time.
“I’m mostly here to get the AR-15,” said James Boyle, also a Sharonville resident.
Cabela’s is giving away more than $800,000 in Black Friday gifts across the company’s participating U.S. retail locations.
Cabela’s opened its Centerville location in April. It is Cabela’s third retail site in Ohio, joining the Columbus store that opened in 2013 and the West Chester Twp. location that opened in 2015.
Do you plan on shopping during the Black Friday weekend? Tell reporter Kara Driscoll about your plans. Call her at 937-225-0551.
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