Last-minute shoppers flood stores days ahead of Christmas
Last-minute shoppers flood stores days ahead of Christmas
It’s that time of the year again: Many people who waited until the last minute to get that perfect holiday gift hit the stores this weekend to grab what they can.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - It’s that time of the year again: Many people who waited until the last minute to get that perfect holiday gift hit the stores this weekend to grab what they can.
Some retailers are staying open late to allow those shoppers to grab what they need before Christmas day.
FOX 5 spent the day in Old Town Alexandria Saturday, catching up with last-minute holiday shoppers to see what they could find with only a day left before Christmas.
Last minute holiday for many people probably is a tradition – if not, maybe giving them some sort of a rush because they like the pressure.
"I’m completely in between in terms of shopping, 95% of it is done," said Kim Eveland who was shopping in Alexandria. "The last remaining 5% is the toughest part as I am still trying to come up. With that perfect gift idea. So I’ve got a few hours."
Still, though many people would probably prefer shopping online, stores remain busy just a day before Christmas.
"We all know Christmas comes this time every year. We need to get ourselves together," Eveland joked.
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Since Friday, that’s been the running theme of most shoppers in Old Town Alexandria say they don’t want their loved ones to be left out or be forgotten.
A lot of people, however, did start their shopping weeks ago but there are always those last few gifts or trinkets to add to that gift bag or stocking.
"Well, I have some little knickknacks for stockings and everything but other than my major high-dollar stuff I purchased a while ago. If you wake up early in the morning and this thing right here it is my guilty pleasure — like ‘scroll, scroll, purchase, purchase,’" said Mahasin Elamin, a Prince George’s County resident who’d just finished his holiday shopping.
So this is the weekend has been the one to get everything they need.
The National Retail Federation is projecting that holiday sales will be up about 3% this year compared to last, for a record total of up to $966 billion nationwide.
"My family is more about giving, so my oldest son, we used to take him to the homeless shelters and provide clothes and serve food and I wanted the meaning to be more about giving and not receiving," said Todd Harris, who was also out Christmas shopping. "But they definitely want their toys and their gadgets."
Now, Old Town Alexandria is known for some of the smaller boutiques and Mom-and-Pop shops, so try to show your support through the holidays.