No shortage of holiday shoppers, returns day after Christmas at Roosevelt Field Mall
NEW YORK - Many people who had Monday off work used the time to do holiday returns, or shop some more.
Santa may have left his post at the Roosevelt Field Mall, but the holiday shoppers were still present.
"Dong some late holiday shopping for parts of the family I haven't seen yet," said New Hyde resident Chris Cataldo.
Cataldo said the past few years he hasn't been doing much in-store Christmas shopping because of the pandemic.
"It's nice to be back in the store and just get everything all done at once instead of having to order," he said.
Some came for returns, or to swap items.
"We're actually exchanging some sneakers for my two daughters," said Belle Harbor resident Rossella Petrone.
Others wanted to snag post-holiday deals.
"The other day, I came to Zara and they said there was going to be a sale this day. So I checked online and they said they're going to open nine o'clock in the morning, so sale's going to start, so I came today," said Queens resident Manny Jakhu.
Those CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis spoke with trying to avoid mall crowds went to stores like the ones at the Gallery at Westbury Plaza hoping to get in and out.
"Just returning items. The lines weren't that bad. We went early enough," said Malverne resident Joanne Tesoriero.
"Was that your tactic, to go out early?" DeAngelis asked.
"Yes. Yes, before the mad rush. So ten o'clock, opened up, we were there," Tesoriero said.
She prefers shopping online.
"A lot online, and then basically returning. That's the only time I go to the store," Tesoriero said.
A report by Salesforce found despite economic challenges, in the three weeks following Cyber Week, U.S. online sales grew eight percent compared to last year, with $97 billion spent. But it predicts holiday returns will also rise over 50 percent.
"We're returning some Christmas gifts we got. They didn't fit right, so we're going to try to get right sizes," said Jesse Menghini of Bayville.
Lauren Belle doesn't have returns, but she said after Christmas is the time to shop.
"A lot of sales today," Belle said. "We're about to head to the mall and do some more shopping."
The National Retail Federation has also forecast holiday sales to grow between 6-8% over last year despite inflationary challenges.
