Last-Minute Holiday Shoppers Pack Local Malls
ROSEVILLE (CBS13) - Fighting through rain and terrible Friday traffic, hundreds of brave last-minute shoppers packed local malls today.
The Roseville Galleria says those crowds are translating to a better holiday season than last year.
CBS13's Nick Janes went out during the busiest time of the day for a first-hand look.
It's last-minute Christmas chaos, said a worker.
"Fantastic! It's crazy -- look at it today," said a shopper.
"I'm gonna give you some extra bows also," said a gift wrapper.
Marisa Martinez will need those extra bows for all these boxes she couldn't carry alone!
"…I have a lot of family," said Martinez.
And for a lot of these shoppers, just getting to the Roseville Galleria was the hard part.
We decided to time it. Our holiday dash wasn't so much a sprint as it was a crawl.
From rainy West Sacramento up gridlocked I-80 to the packed Galleria took 50 minutes. Add another 10 to find parking, and the tip that normally takes 25 minutes lasted an hour.
But inside, it was full speed ahead for guys like Jason Weiss.
Weiss: "A few gifts for my wife and family."
Janes: "is this everything?"
Weiss: "i wish it was!"
Sales are up.
"The consumer seems more relaxed, which is interesting because Thanksgiving was just as late as it was last year, but they're happy," Stephanie Ringey, a spokesperson for Roseville Galleria
Whatever the reason, more traffic is adding up to a bigger bottom line, she says.
Weiss: "Last minute? I feel like I'm early this year."
Janes: "What's your normal time?"
Weiss: "Today's the 20th? The 24th!"
Janes: "So you're ahead of the game."
Janes: "I'm way ahead of the game."
If you aren't done shopping yet, you aren't alone. In the past, polls showed as many as 17 million people have shopped on Christmas Eve.
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