Shoppers hit Braintree's South Shore Plaza mall for gifts and holiday cheer
BRAINTREE - Holiday shoppers flocked to the South Shore Plaza in Braintree to get in that last-minute shopping the last weekend before Christmas.
Getting into the holiday spirit
"We're expecting to exceed last year's traffic counts, and the retailers are ready," South Shore Plaza General Manager Allen Smith said.
Holiday music and Santas permeated the mall as shoppers walked around with hands full of shopping bags.
"This is actually the busiest time of the year for us. Black Friday gets all the hype, but this Saturday and Sunday is when the bulk of the shopping gets done," Smith said.
Robin Weiner, of Holbrook, is both an online and in-person shopper. "I am almost done, thank God, and I am going to treat myself in the food court. I do like to have that Christmas feeling, so that's why I'm at the plaza today."
A short shopping season
This year, retailers and business owners had the shortest amount of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas to sell.
Dana Katz owns Miltons, a men's clothing store. He says it all comes down to the last 10 days before Christmas.
"This is Super Saturday. It'll be the biggest day of the year. Our e-commerce business has been the biggest it's ever been this year. But then there's nothing like being in a store and touching and feeling the merchandise," Katz said.
Which is exactly what brought the Norton Family to the Mall. "I'm under strict rules by my wife to bring my three boys here for Christmas outfits. So we're spending the day here at Miltons," Jim Norton said.