CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Christmas shoppers are feeling the pinch with less than a week to go before the holiday.
Last minute gift buyers will flood the malls, shopping centers and local businesses this weekend.
Val Zenteno, the Property Manager of the Huntington Mall, said the Saturday before Christmas is usually always like that.
“A lot of studies have been done to give the statement that the Saturday before Christmas is the busiest shopping day of the year,” he said. “It’s not necessarily the Black Friday, in our case this year it is this Saturday.”
“There are a lot of individuals out there that are procrastinators. We will see crowds, we will see the last minute shoppers getting everything crossed off their list before Christmas. We will be busy Christmas Eve and we expect high traffic counts and a high volume of individuals in our mall.”
Zenteno added that there has been high traffic through the mall since Black Friday.
“We have seen increases in traffic volume coming into the complex. We are getting reports from some of our tenants that their traffic counts, the amount of people coming through their door is increasing as well.”
The high numbers of shoppers over the past couple of weeks and expected counts this weekend are not limited to large retailers. Capitol Market in Charleston is bracing for the last minute rush as well.
“We will see that traffic all the way through until 4 p.m. when we close on Christmas Eve,” Nichole Greene, with Capitol Market, said. “People getting those last minute things for guests coming in, little gifts for people that may have slipped their mind. This is really a great place to take advantage of that. We even off gift cards you can use throughout the market.”
Greene said on just Wednesday alone, the market sold 315 gift cards in the morning. With so many gift cards going out, shoppers will be back into the market to spend them, continuing a steady traffic flow, according to Greene.
“I think it really is the return back to the community feel, ” she said. “People want to support local businesses and make sure their hard-earned dollars stay with hard-working West Virginians.
“All retailers whether small or corporations will see slower traffic after the new year. But the great thing is, you’ll still need fresh meats and fresh vegetables. You’re looking for places to eat and spend that money that you got for Christmas and we are here to do that.”
As for last minute gift ideas, Greene had one.
“The Purple Onion and West Virginia Marketplace do offer gift baskets,” she said. “Those can be sourced from different businesses inside the market. it is a great way to kind of treat somebody to all the wonderful things inside the market. They have been steady, hundreds of baskets have gone out.”
Capitol Market will be open Saturday, December 22 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sunday, December 23 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. while the Huntington Mall will host a Super Saturday on December 22. The mall will be open from 8 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on December 23. The mall’s Christmas Eve hours are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.