ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — First came the retail madness of Black Friday, when shoppers converged on local stores in search of sweet deals for themselves, and people on their holiday shopping lists.
Then came a calm before another storm. That storm—scores of last-minute holiday shoppers—is now upon us.
Stateline stores are now packed with local residents who are scrambling to get all of their presents bought before Christmas.
Some shoppers are still in search of lingering deals advertised on Black Friday. But, as Dec. 25 approaches, recent crowds are mostly made up of those who have one or two more gifts left to buy and those who haven’t even started shopping.
“I say every year at this time [that] I am not going to wait, and next year it’s going to be [in] October, November [that] I am going to shop and get it done,” said Stateline resident Terri Harty. “But every year I wait until the last minute.”
Some residents say even with the best intentions, it’s easy to forget how short the holiday shopping season is. With Black Friday falling on Nov. 25 this year, there’s only been a month to get everything bought, wrapped, and under the tree before Christmas morning.
“This year, it was one of those years, and I took too long,” said Mary Greathouse. “I’ve been working like crazy. We’ve been busy.”
Procrastination aside, Greathouse had some unexpected expenses come up that prevented her from shopping for the last few items on her list until now.
“I had car repairs and all that stuff,” she said. “So that came first. Now it’s time to just try to get it done in time.”
Although they are running out of time. Harty and Greathouse say they’ll get everyone on their shopping lists taken care of.
Retailers are welcoming the rush. Store owners say they’re always prepared for late-season crowds between Black Friday and Christmas.
“We’re still staying busy all the way through,” said Drew Willis, one of the owners of Sports & More inside CherryVale Mall. “And this is the last week, and it’s going to be really busy this last week here.”
Largely because of inflation, the National Retail Federation estimates that American consumers will spend a 6% to 8% more than they did on the holidays last year. The organization expects holiday sales to reach more than $960 billion, with the average household spending an average of $830.
