December 24, 2002
Albany- The Albany mall parking lot was jam packed, and inside it was even more crowded. South Georgians didn't let the stormy weather keep them from getting those Christmas Eve deals.
"I'm carrying him around. All the strollers are taken, all the kids cars are taken, so I'm carrying him around," says Melissa Eubanks holding her son.
"I waited until the last minute for three more gifts that I had to buy. It just caught me this year," admits Tammie Hamilton.
Some just say they like to fight the last minute crowds. "I love the crowds; I like to meet people. I do this every year," claims Curtis Tinson.
He isn't the only procrastinator, merchants say people have been buying all day long.
"Obviously with the storm it started off very slowly, but by the time lunch was over it started picking up, and as you can see there's a lot of people here in the mall," says Julian Hood of Shirley's Potpourri.
"We all knew that we had to have those gifts by 6 o'clock today, so rain, sleet, or snow we were going to come out and get those gifts," adds Corey Dudley of Wilson's Leather.
By the looks of things it seems a little bad weather can't keep a good shopper down.
Merchants say the 24th is always a busy day for them. Some stores even made extra markdowns just to get people in the doors at the last minute.
Posted at 5:30 PM by elaine.armstrong@walb.com
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