Shoppers Take Advantage Of Super Saturday Deals On Last Weekend Before Christmas
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- It may be chilly outside, but holiday shopping is heating up as residents hit the stores for Super Saturday.
With less than one week left before Christmas, a new Reuters/Iosos poll shows 17 percent of Americans haven't even begun buying gifts, including Luis Martinez of Manhattan.
"I haven't started yet. I'm going to start it sometime next week -- running out of time," he told CBS2's Brian Conybeare.
Many are staying open around the clock, gearing up for the rush of last-minute shoppers.
Kohl's will stay open 24 hours a day leading up to Christmas. Other stores, including Toys 'R' Us, opened at 6 a.m. on Saturday to prepare for the holiday rush.
Macy's flagship store in Herald Square drew crowds just to see the festive window displays and starting Monday, they'll be open until 2 a.m.
Brooklyn resident Tessa Minns walked outside with about seven bags filled to the brim.
"This is just the beginning," she told WCBS 880's Stephanie Colombini.
But the extended hours is something Vera Daniel of the Bronx won't be needing.
"I'm done," Daniel said. "I can't take the crowds, it's too much but I feel good."
Joseph Evola beat the crowds at the mall, buying presents for his family at 6:30 a.m.
"That's it, the end. I'm done," he told CBS2's Ilana Gold.
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Martha Merronne was carrying out bags full of toys for her daughter.
"This is kind of early for me. Usually I'll wait until Christmas Eve to get stuff," she said.
The National Retail Federation said the average holiday shopper has done about 50 percent of their shopping and 90 percent of holiday shoppers still have items to buy, including food gifts and decorations.
"The next couple of days I'm going to be shopping a lot. I have to get for my mom and my sisters," said Nikki Loid.
This Super Saturday, retailers are offering big discounts to get more people in the door and boost what has been a slow shopping season in stores.
"They have a lot of buy-one get-40 percent, 50 percent. So I got some good deals," said Merronne.
Retail analyst Burt Flickinger said this Super Saturday is even bigger than Black Friday.
"The promotions have just reached unprecedented proportions," he said.
According to First Data, which analyzed online and in-store payments from Oct. 31 through Monday, online sales growth so far this holiday season is surpassing growth in sales at physical stores.
Sales growth for stores is up 2 percent, while online sales rose 4.6 percent, First Data said.
While physical stores still account for the majority of spending, the uneven growth between buying at locations and on websites signals the continuation of a big shift in how U.S. consumers are shopping.
The unseasonably warm weather last week didn't help many get into the holiday spirit either, and now that the temperature has dropped some said it finally feels like winter.
"It's freezing! It's winter today!" said Loid.
So if you plan on going shopping this weekend, be sure to bundle up.
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