Christmas Eve Shoppers Hustle to Grab Gifts in San Francisco Union Square
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- It was far less crowded in the stores surrounding San Francisco's Union Square than it would be on a typical Christmas Eve. Still, plenty of last-minute shoppers showed up.
They came for festive photos, for last minute gifts and to get out of the house.
"It was busy, it was real busy," said Tatianna Murry of San Francisco. "I had to wait in a long line."
In the end, Murray says she got what she came for -- presents for her three daughters.
"I like going outside and, during the whole pandemic, I've been in the house with them so it's always a good experience to get some fresh air."
There were plenty of people doing just that in Union Square this Christmas Eve.
Under the stay-at-home order, retail stores can operate at 20 percent capacity.
Lafayette Bickham scored a couple of deals without waiting in any lines at several stores that include Nordstrom Rack .
"Normally ... the city is busy ... so I'm kind of missing out on that. I didn't realize I was," Bickham said.
Andrew Wiles works at the Adidas store at Westfield Mall, where there were only moderate lines throughout the day. He said it was also much less crowded than it was on Black Friday.
"I would say the previous holidays were more hectic because we have more tourists coming in so a lot of people would spend the holidays in San Francisco," he said.
Pandemic or not, procrastinators found themselves in a familiar place.
"Because we are too disorganized, some of us ... it's just last-minute, you know? And you want to surprise someone for Christmas," said San Francisco resident Nemo Popovic.
