Last-Minute Shoppers Hit Stores
Harrisonburg, PA – Those looking to wrap up their holiday shopping flocked to Harrisonburg stores Saturday, hoping to find last-minute deals on the final weekend before Christmas.
Parking lots at Harrisonburg Crossing, which includes the Wal-Mart store, and the lot at the Valley Mall and Target were near capacity all day long.
“It’s a madhouse,” said Carl Campbell, a store manager at Target. He said the Nintendo Wii video game system and GPS devices have been especially popular this holiday season, including on Saturday.
“It’s been nonstop since we opened the doors. At about 8:30 a.m., it started picking up and every hour it has been steadily climbing.”
He said the souring economy hasn’t appreciably slowed business at his store.
“I haven’t noticed it as much,” said Campbell.
While the larger department stores drew in thousands of customers, many other shoppers avoided the crowds by seeking gifts at smaller, local shops.
Kim Juda, a volunteer at Oasis Gallery, an artist cooperative in downtown Harrisonburg, said that despite an overall dip in business from last year, sales picked up on Saturday.
“We’ve had a pretty busy morning,” Juda said, noting that the gallery sold several art prints, calendars, glassware and hand-made soaps. “It’s kept us pretty busy.”
