Last Minute Holiday Shopping

With only two shopping days left before Christmas, many shoppers waited until this weekend to buy their gifts.”I think a lot of people all of a sudden realized that Christmas is right around the corner and I think they’re just running in to get [their Christmas lists] completed” says Rene Heider, manager of Deck The Walls at the Columbia Mall.Heider says the unsettled state of the economy right now and the looming fiscal cliff has also played a role in the increased sales for stores this weekend.”I think that’s why people waited so long, they were trying to hold on,” Heider said.On the other hand, Ashley Morgan, manager of Francesca’s at the Columbia Mall, says she doesn’t think the economy or the fiscal cliff has had a significant impact, saying the store has been consistently busy throughout the holiday season.According to the National Retail Federation, only 18.6 percent of men and 10.9 percent of women had at least 50 percent of their holiday shopping completed by December 13th.