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Shoppers Brave Snow, Crowds For Last Minute Holiday Items

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Time to shop for the holidays is running out, so there's no way a little snow and ice was going to keep people in New York away from the stores with just eight days to go until Christmas.

Experts expect Saturday will be one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

CBS2's Raegan Medgie spoke with shoppers at the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Orange County, where mounds of snow stood about eight feet tall and slush lined the sidewalks.

"We're outside and it's been really cold, and it's been hard to walk around in the cold," Rachel Rootchand, of New Windsor, said.

"Time is ticking, it's crunch time right now," Jean Cuevas, of Long Island City, said. "We're just about to finish up my dad, my mom, my sister."

Shoppers didn't let Mother Nature dampen -- or freeze -- their spending.

Reeree Chance said she drove all the way from Baltimore, Maryland.

"We came here, we shopped, we put some of the bags in the trunk and we're out shopping again," she said.

Chance was one of 156 million Americans pounding the pavement on Super Saturday -- a day the National Retail Federation says some stores offer deep discounts for last minute shoppers like David Duran.

"I got great deals, I'm ready for the holidays. I just have one more stop to make and then I'm good," the Bronx man said.

The National Retail Federation survey found more people planned to shop on Super Saturday than Black Friday, regardless of Mother Nature's plan.

"I'm a New Yorker, I don't worry about the cold," Duran said. "Last minute shopping -- I like to wait until the last minute, I get the better deals like that."

"In the beginning, it was really cold, but now I feel like we're warming up because it's just so crowded inside the stores," Long Island City resident Jean Cuevas said.

As 1010 WINS's Carol D'Auria found out, just how much people enjoyed it all came down to where they were from. She spoke with shoppers at the Macy's in Midtown Manhattan and encountered mixed emotions.

Annette, a resident of Manhattan, said she was out shopping for stocking stuffers like chocolates and socks. She told 1010 WINS that she bought everything else online because she can't stand the crowds.

"Particularly in this part of New York, it's just too hard to get through," she said. "I avoid Rockefeller like the plague and even just this area is giving me the hives."

Lidia, in town from North Carolina, said she bought Christmas gifts for her son and loved everything about it -- including both the selection of stuff and the big crowds.

"Yeah, it's a ton of people," she said. "I don't mind it."

Most tourists like Lidia said the shopping in New York was better than back home.

Cass hails from the United Kingdom and bought several items at Macy's.

"We're from the UK so we're just enjoying some of the prices really," she said.

Some locals avoided Macy's altogether. Keisha from Brooklyn opted instead to shop one block away at the Manhattan Mall. Even there she tried to keep her purchases to a minimum.

"I don't really shop for anyone but my kids and my mom," she said. "I have a list and I'm checking it twice."

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