Shoppers Flock To Stores In Last-Minute Dash For Deals, Gifts
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - 'Tis the season for last minute shopping.
Shoppers flocking to the stores can expect crowds, sales, stress and excitement, CBS 2's Ann Mercogliano reported.
"Yes, it's crazy," shopper Kerisha Drew said.
It's an inadvertent annual tradition for some. Shoppers who may have promised last year they would get it all done before the last minute are once again back among the crowds.
"Everything's here, and it's a good bargain, I guess. A good, better deal," Deborah Blas of Bushwick told Mercogliano said while shopping at K-Mart.
At Macy's Herald Square, crowds are mobbing the store in search of last-minute deals.
"We still have bags upstairs because we cannot carry the stuff, it's too much," one shopper told 1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg.
1010 WINS' Gene Michaels reports from Queens Center
Podcast
A shopper named Jay said Macy's was the last place he expected to be on Christmas Eve.
"My wife made me feel guilty. I bought her something, but she's wearing it right now. So she wants something else under the tree so she's like, 'I'm going to be the only one with nothing under the tree,'" Jay told Sandberg. "I had to come here and get her something else."
While 1010 WINS' Sandberg found many men doing their holiday shopping, one woman he spoke to said going to Macy's was just an activity to her.
"I was just around so I just said 'let's go shopping.' So we are here," the woman told Sandberg.
In Jersey City, malls and shopping centers are packed with procrastinators like Sharon.
"I'm actually doing all of my shopping right now," she told WCBS 880's Monica Miller.
WCBS 880's Monica Miller reports from Jersey City
Podcast
Kids tagging along with their parents, like 5-year-old Jivan, seemed convinced Santa already has their gifts ready to place under the tree.
"I want Black Spider-Man and the Avengers," Jivan told Miller.
Other northern Jersey shoppers said the holidays have taken a back seat to superstorm Sandy recovery this year.
"People are still going through hard times with the storm and everything," Ennis from Hoboken told Miller. "It is what it is, for the kids anyway."
Shoppers also seem more willing to open their wallets this year.
According to a survey by Decide.com, 41 percent said they're spending more this year, 36 percent said they're spending less, and 22 percent spending about the same.
"Consumers have more information at their fingertips," said Shauna Causey, Vice President of Decide.com. "So if you're a smart shopper you can get a great deal these days."
Shoppers this year have a lot more than usual on their minds, including the victims of Hurricane Sandy, the Newtown school shooting and the fiscal cliff.
"I feel like there was less excitement for Christmas," said shopper Ella Gaddy of Park Slope. "I'm shopping for my nieces, so I feel a little better about it."
Some retailers are responding to the more somber tone this year, expanding hours and offering even deeper discounts to keep shoppers in the mood to spend.
Are you scrambling for gifts at the last minute? Tell us about it in our comments section.
