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Whit Johnson ReportingThe clock is ticking. Only a couple of days left until Christmas.
If you still need to buy gifts, you're not alone. It's officially crunch time for last minute shoppers. Many businesses consider this weekend to be the busiest of the year.
The Gateway mall closed at 10 pm Saturday, but some stores planned to stay open until 11 pm. At 10 the place was far from empty, as people still search for that perfect gift.
The familiar sounds of the Saturday before Christmas include cash registers totaling up purchases. The big day is just around the corner, which means long lines, and even longer receipts.
Andrew Mulligan / Shopper: "Well we're just doing some last minute Christmas shopping."
Reporter: "How is it going so far?"
Andrew Mulligan: "Spending a lot of money, that's for sure."
Reporter: "A lot of your money or somebody else's money?"
Andrew Mulligan: "Both of ours."
Some of the hot items are electronics, such as video games and digital cameras. Elmo TMX is the big toy this year.
At the Gateway shoppers looked for gifts of all shapes and sizes, and the last minute excuses came in similar forms.
Aderianna Jackson / Shopper: "Actually I'm helping my sister out. She needs a present."
Ashlee Morlock / Shopper: "Been busy I guess, you know, doing other things."
A study done by America's Research Group shows more than 36 percent of all holiday shoppers will hit the stores on Christmas Eve. Well that's Sunday, and it just happens to fall on perhaps the busiest shopping weekend of the year.
Nicholas Stephenson/ Asst. Mgr., Brookstone: "It's been crazy. The store's been packed non-stop. You can see the rest of the mall's been pretty crazy as well. But we've been enjoying it."
This weekend, Brookstone does 20 times its usual business. Throughout the mall it's a similar story, and holiday headaches come with it.
Brian Jolley / Shopper: "Oh yeah, it's been crazy. But that's to be expected. Normally I'm really irritated by lots of people, but I asked for it today."
Aderianna Jackson / Shopper: "I like to have my shopping done by Thanksgiving. I don't like to come out in all the crowds."
There's always a big rush to the malls right before Christmas. But Tuesday, the day after Christmas, is also one of the busiest shopping days of the year. So you might want to wait on some of those returns.
