Super Saturday Shoppers Heading To Malls, Outlets To Beat Late Shipping Estimates
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Last-minute holiday shopping is having to take place in person because, for most places, items won't get there in time.
The last Saturday to shop before Christmas, dubbed Super Saturday, had many Angelenos rushing to get the perfect gifts for their loved ones, but because of the pandemic, there were some restraints.
"I'm spending less because my hours got really cut, so I'm spending less. Less hours, less money," said shopper Carmella Zuniga.
Zuniga said despite pandemic concerns, she prefers to shop in person.
"The benefit of shopping in person, you can pick stuff up, you can price stuff. You can go from one store to the next store as opposed to doing it on the internet, you just have that limited space," she said.
The National Retail Federation expects 150 million people will shop this Super Saturday, slightly more than last year.
However, in Southern California, the epicenter for a massive surge in coronavirus cases, fewer shoppers have been coming out.
At the Citadel Outlets, shopping was down by roughly 70%.
In an effort to maintain physical distancing measures, lines were wrapping around some stores at the outlet.
"You do see lines outside of stores, but that's because they're really reducing occupancy to 20 percent in stores. So when you're inside you feel like V.I.P.," said Clara Tsang, Director of Public Relations for Citadel Outlets.
Wait times appear short, and there are also virtual lines to join. Another option is for guests to scan QR codes to save their spot and wait for a notification when it's their turn.
For shoppers worried about late shipping for online shopping and also have concerns about long lines, including the virtual line, the Citadel Outlets has curbside pickup as an alternative.
Along with physical distancing and wearing masks, employees at the Outlets are tracking who comes and goes inside the stores, and helping to provide hand sanitizer to shoppers.