TUNKHANNOCK, Pa. — The final shopping hours ahead of Christmas are drawing near. Mercantile 22 on East Tioga Street in Tunkhannock saw the rush of people looking for the perfect gifts.
"A lot of last-minute shoppers, probably more than ever before, they were coming in the door the minute I opened this morning, and it's been a steady stream since," said Lisa Tizzoni, Mercantile 22 co-owner.
Boxes with bows and bags of gifts were flying out of the store, but for shoppers like Holly Anderson of Auburn Center, the day isn't about scoring last-minute deals it's about enjoying the holiday.
"We'll just browse around and have fun before the holiday because I'm pretty much done with my Christmas shopping, but I just wanted to go out and enjoy a couple of hours out," said Holly Anderson, Auburn Center.
Anderson says the local stores were all busy with shoppers, just not as hectic as the big box stores, "I haven't seen panic mode, probably if you went to the grocery store, there might be more panic mode, but not for me, and not in the smaller shops, maybe at Walmart."
Over at Lifestyles Clothing, shoppers were browsing the racks. Brianna Hubert tells Newswatch 16 that many of them waited until the last minute to either start their shopping or wrap it up.
"We've had plenty of people be like, this is me last minute shopping, or if they can't find a size, they're like, 'it's my fault I shouldn't have waited,' but everyone is in good spirits either way," said Brianna Hubert, Lifestyle Clothing Associate.
Hubert says every year, there are certain items that are popular for gift-giving, "A lot of people are getting the winter jackets, like the heavy winter jackets. I think a lot of people with the season shift are preparing. The beanies are a really popular item. People like to grab them as stocking stuffers or as random gifts."
She says if all else fails, you could always get a gift card.