Last Minute Shoppers Fill Malls - ABC5 News Des Moines, IA

Last Minute Shoppers Fill Malls

By Alex Schuman

aschuman@myabc5.com

@alexschuman

Last minute shopping can be one those times where you stop and shake your thinking, "What people will do for the ones they love."

You spend money, face crowds, lines, guess sizes - figuring out what will make that perfect Christmas gift.  All followed by that amazing feeling when you know, finally, you are done.

"I'm done!  This is my last package," said Cindy Pierce, West Des Moines.

Cindy has never waited until the last minute to finish shopping.

"I started at 6 o'clock last night," she said Sunday afternoon.

But she was not being lazy.  Cindy needed all her kids' and relatives' Christmas lists.

"I decided this year to get what they need and what they want," she said.

Cindy joined in with thousands of other last minute shoppers to make this one of the busiest weekends of the year for malls in central Iowa.

Some managers say their stores were swamped all weekend, but most shoppers left feeling lucky.

JC Penney extended their hours for the rush - opening up from 7 a.m. till Midnight both Saturday and Sunday.

For them, capturing those few extra shoppers is worth it.  Just as battling those same shoppers is worth it to Cindy to make the ones she loves happy.