Shoppers Pick Up Last Minute Gifts On "Super Saturday"
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The start of the final holiday sales push is on in what may be the biggest shopping day of the year: Super Saturday.
Super Saturday is expected to be bigger than Black Friday, with experts predicting Americans will spend $10 billion.
CBS 2's Chris Martinez talked to people fighting the crowds downtown to finish their holiday shopping Saturday.
"It's been really crowded but it's really festive and it's a lot of fun," said Julia Laube.
"It's pretty packed, but we love it," said Pat Reilly. "We wouldn't do it differently."
Super Saturday also marks the beginning of extended store hours with a lot retailers staying open later through the next few says. Some of them are even planning on staying open for 24 hours.
WBBM's Nancy Harty reports some people are skipping the mall on what's predicted to be the busiest shopping day of the holiday season and instead hitting the pawn shop.
Many of the people coming in and out of pawn stores along Lincoln Highway in Chicago Heights Saturday afternoon were comparison shopping. Some said the prices weren't much cheaper than buying new items at discount stores.
One pawn store employee says TVs, laptops and tablet computers are the most popular items this year and while most people are buying now, the shops will be busy after Christmas with people selling some of their gifts.
A college student says he wasn't able to get the price he wanted for his video game system to buy a necklace or bracelet for his girlfriend, so he may have to sell something else instead.