A lot of last minute shoppers braved the elements Christmas Eve to hunt for the perfect last minute gifts. Those elements had nothing to do with weather across much of the United States since many regions are experiencing unseasonably warm climates. Rather, they ventured through heavily trafficked streets.
What many found was besides the heavy traffic, parking was difficult to find and maneuvering through lots, attempting to find parking was the norm. According to Katu.com, many Oregon shoppers were caught off guard as the time crunch loomed ahead so swiftly.
Many of the shoppers said although they expected a lot of crowds, they were prepared with a lot of patience because the timing of their shopping could not be helped due to a lot of a factors. “We’ve had a lot of family stuff going on; I work two jobs so I have limited time,” said Jessica Bailey after finishing up shopping.
Still some shoppers said they prefer to shop at the last minute because they have more focus and tend to stay within their budgets, as a result. For those seeking the perfect present, gift cards seemed to resolve that issue.
Despite having a hard time trekking through traffic and circling malls to find parking, shoppers were pleasantly surprised to find that they were able to muster some peace and quiet once they got into the stores.
Since it was last minute, crowds dispersed quickly. They knew they did not have much time to spare and quickly went about getting into the shops and out, presumably to rush home to wrap the gifts so they could begin celebrating with loved ones.