As of this morning, customers only have about 40 shopping hours till Christmas, counting time for those procrastinators waiting till the 24th.
Retailers across the area expect plenty of shoppers will squeeze every second they can out of the Christmas shopping season and are accommodating them with expanded hours. Some stores will stay open as late as midnight to appease those customers in the final gift buying scramble for hard-to-shop-for friends and family members.
"We've had people who stay till close just about every night," said Marty Smith, manager of the Hamilton Place JCPenney.
Smith's store started extending its closing hour from 9 p.m. to midnight for the holidays a few years back, and customers have been staying as late as they're allowed.
Smith's JCPenney opens at 7 a.m., three hours earlier than the store does most of the year.
"There's not a lot of people who want to get up and go to the mall at 7 a.m., but if you're time pressed, we're open," he said.
And as long as stores are open, Smith and retailers like him expect customers to keep them busy right up till the fat man goes a-flying Saturday night.
MALL HOURS* Hamilton Place and Northgate: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. today, to 11 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday* Walnut Square: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. today, to 11 p.m. Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday* Bradley Square: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday* Most mall anchor stores operate earlier and later than the rest of the mallSource: Mall and store managers
About 77 percent of shoppers are still hunting down the remainder of their gifts, according to a Visa Inc. survey. More than a third of consumers have yet to cross off more than half the names on their lists.
"It's a little bit of a last-minute Christmas season," said Stacia Shahan, general manager of Bradley Square Mall. "It's like people woke up Saturday and realized, 'I've only got one week till Christmas.'"
So customers have been taking advantage of stores' extended hours to cram in every bit of shopping they can. For the second year in a row, Toys R Us will be open 24 hours until 10 p.m. Christmas Eve. Kmart also will be open late for last-minute shopping, keeping doors open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday while most stores close around 6 p.m.
Locally-owned businesses have also found success extending their hours.
"We don't lock the doors on them, but they're here till close," said Mary Beth Conklin, owner of Learning Express Toys, which extended its 2 North Shore location's night closing by an hour. "It helps both of us. Convenience is everything now, and being able to come in and have a good shopping experience where you're not rushed is important to the customers today, and it's great for us because in this economy, we're seeing additional sales."