Retailers termed the last Saturday before Christmas Super Saturday, and with four days left to Christmas, the National Retail Federation projected roughly 157 million people across the country would shop and try to wrap up their shopping list.
In the Bay Area, the light rain might have kept some shoppers home. But not Mike Stok of Oakland.
He was at the Bay Street shopping center in Emeryville buying the final gift on his list.
“I’ve been thinking about finally getting down here and buying the gift physically for weeks now. At long last, taking care of that today,” said Stok, who was looking for a new iPhone for his wife at an Apple store. “It’s on the tech side of the spectrum, as you can see here in the store I’m about to walk into. My wife is due for an upgrade.”
“This is the start of our shopping journey. A little late to the shopping, but exciting. It looks packed,” said shopper Ian Salmon, who was shopping at the Broadway Plaza shopping center in Walnut Creek.
It was busy at Broadway Plaza despite the rain.
“I like to do some online shopping and get some big things out. But I also like coming here and being with the crowd and have the holiday spirit,” said Patrick Courtney, who was shopping with his family.
Retailers said they need a strong holiday season to off set the slower month of January.
“We’re actually on budget, so it was win,” said Courtney.Â
And it was a win for Stok as well as he picked out a new phone for his wife.Â
“There is a certain sense of relief. And I feel good about the gifts that I got for people this year,” said Stok.
The National Retail Federation reported that of the shoppers surveyed, about 50 percent of the gifts purchased so far were clothing and accessories.Â
The second category is toys with 32 percent of the shoppers said they bought toys. Gift cards came in third at 26 percent.
