SCRANTON, Pa. — The line outside Southside Seafood in Scranton stretched down the block on Thursday morning. The staff opened the doors earlier than they'd planned to start taking orders.
Customers were already getting in the Christmas spirit, stepping out of line to help others carry bags to their cars.
Joe Bugno was smiling instead of shivering, even though he admits this isn't his favorite task.
"My wife says, 'You're going to wait in line.'"
Louise Ligi doesn't mind waiting for the calamari she buys here every year.
"It usually winds around inside the store, but because of COVID, they're limiting the number, so I think it should be not too bad of a wait. Even though the line looks bad, it'll move along."
"It's definitely a tradition. My mom gave me the task of getting the seafood today," said Vince Cimini.
Cimini and his family celebrate the traditional Italian "Feast of the Seven Fishes." Today's the shopping day; tomorrow's reserved for cooking.
"We have pasta with tuna sauce, baccala, shrimp, the smelts."
Owner Carl Pazzaglia says December 23 is the shop's busiest day of the year, and he's ready.
"We're fully stocked. Nobody has to worry about us running out of anything. We'll have everything right through the day, through tomorrow, and into New Year's."
The only thing they might have to worry about is the price tag.
"Lobster tails are probably about $14 to $15 a pound higher this year than last year. But there's nothing you can do; it's just with the supply chain and everything else like that. The king crab is higher. A lot of people are coming in and getting a little sticker shock because they're like $20 a pound higher than last year."
If you're a last-minute seafood shopper, Southside Seafood is open on Christmas Eve until 3:30 p.m.