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'Save The Best For Last, Right?': Last Minute Shoppers Flock To Stores For Gifts & Groceries

HACKENSACK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Last minute shoppers were out in full force throughout the Tri-State Area on Friday night.

CBS2's Jessica Layton found a lot of families shopping together at Riverside Mall in Hackensack, New Jersey.

She asked one shopper, Alan Elias, of Queens, why the wife is usually the one who's still left on the list.

"Save the best for last, right?" he said. "That's the way you stay out of trouble."

For some, the rush to the shops was less about spending money, and more about making a last minute memory. That was the case for one family that was there to take a photo with Santa.

Meanwhile, CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported the streets and parking lots around Roosevelt Field Mall in East Garden City, New York were packed.

Shoppers there had some creative excuses for why they waited so long.

"Well I waited for the last minute because stuff didn't come on time that I ordered online," Caroline Gomez said.

"The reason why I waited is because I am a grandma babysitting and I'm also a full time worker. So I leave everything for the last minute," Victoria Estevez said. "And I'm planning to come back on Monday."

Monday, also known as "returns day," is just as busy as Black Friday with people returning things they don't want and using their new gift cards.

"People tend to wait and look for sales and promotions to use their gift cards. So it's always a great time for a retailer to get those sales out there -- after Christmas sales – and it's a great time for a shopper to get the best bargains possible," retail analyst Danielle Conte said.

Retailers weren't the only ones with last minute shoppers.

As CBS2's Raegan Medgie reported, specialty food markets like Teitel Brothers on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx were also mobbed with people picking up what they need for their holiday feasts.

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