Last-minute Christmas shopping tradition continues in Albany

ALBANY — No matter how thorough the planning, it seems there is always that one gift that gets overlooked, requiring a trip to the store as the last hours before Christmas tick away.

Christmas Eve, for many, is a flurry of last-minute shopping. In the Northwest Albany retail area, parking lots were packed with shoppers. The heavy traffic, which made getting in and out of parking lots slow going at times, and large crowds are things which can test a person’s patience, will and, sometimes, moral fortitude, but for the true gift-giver, the avid Christmas shopper or the procrastinator, the lines are part of the season.

In the final day before Santa’s arrival, shoppers were frantically checking items off their lists.

“This holiday season has been exciting,” Target Store manager Betty Billings said Saturday. “It has been busy, but exciting. We have had a lot of traffic through the store, which is great for sales.”

According to Billings, Saturday morning was exceptionally busy and an even larger last-minute crowd was expected later in the day. To accommodate even the most procrastinating shopper, Target, like some other stores, planned to stay open late.

“We are expecting a large last-minute crowd,” Billings said. “As a matter of fact, we are going to be open later than most retailers. We are going to be open until 10 p.m. tonight. So, when everybody else is shut down, people are still going to be needing things and we are expecting them to come here to get it.”

Although some shoppers seemed right at home among the multitude of buggies filled with toys, tools, and other assorted Christmas gifts, many appeared less adapted to the stress that comes with over-crowed aisles. These shoppers were slightly regretful for waiting until the last minute.

“I will never do this again,” one shopper, who wouldn’t give his name, said.

Another shopper, who also didn’t want her name used, said she can’t seem to get away from the last-minute shopping trips.

“I can’t believe I waited until the last day,” she said. “Every year, I tell myself never again, and yet here I am. I guess it is a Christmas tradition.”