SACRAMENTO – On the weekend before Christmas, last-minute shoppers are scrambling to buy gifts. For some, with the holiday just a few days away, it might be too late to wait for an online gift to arrive. So people are shopping at their local Sacramento stores.
Super Saturday is known as the day last-minute holiday shoppers race to buy gifts.
“We came just to walk around and look for last-minute gifts and then I found this really great shop local beer gift,” said shopper Rachel Ertassi.
Shop local. That’s what some small businesses in Oak Park are shouting from their holiday-decorated storefronts.
“It’s this weekend right before Christmas and then the weekend that’s right after Thanksgiving, those are our two biggest weekends. So seeing folks come in and seeing them shop and seeing them be in person is what we’re really excited about,” said the executive director at CLTRE Roshaun Davis.
With fierce competition from online shoppers, these small businesses say they rely on Super Saturday and last-minute gift buyers. They say shopping in person has its perks.
“It’s not just like you’re sitting in front of the computer and you’re just on the screen. You get to have one on one connection. You get to touch things, put things on the shelf and off the shelf,” said Davis.
“The whole vibe of our music is fun. This morning we were pouring mimosas and we have Christmas cookies. We enjoy the in-store experience,” said Burkhalter.
Strapping store says they’re making about half the sales they normally do and they think online shopping could be partly to blame.
“It’s hard because some small businesses won’t make it. It really matters to the culture and vibe of our city to keep small businesses alive. So we do really appreciate when people come out and support us,” said Burkhalter.
“When you get someone something cool from a store like this the quality is better. When you give a gift and it’s local and handmade, I feel like people are more touched by that. It’s more personal, more intimate. It’s more of a from-the-heart gift,” said Ertassi.