3,000 shoppers line up at Mall of America for Black Friday

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The holiday shopping season is underway.

An estimated 3,500 shoppers lined up at the doors of Mall of America for the Black Friday shopping, according to mall officials. Some began waiting in line as early as 4 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. The first 200 people in line each received a Mall of America gift card valued up to $500.

The doors officially opened at 5 a.m. Friday morning. Santa and his elves greeted people as they made their way in.

The Mall of America will be giving out 8,000 mystery scratch-off cards to shoppers at the North entrance throughout the weekend. Prizes include LEGO sets, Coach handbags, Nordstrom gift cards and more.