Shoppers down to the last minute on Christmas Eve flocked to stores Monday to check off the remainder of their gift lists and meet the holiday deadline.
Hawaii Kai residents Todd and Karen Yamamoto were at Ala Moana Center picking up last-minute presents for people who were inadvertently forgotten.
"We didn’t make a list this year, so we kind of procrastinated and then we just figured out everyone that we forgot," said Karen Yamamoto, who was shopping with the couple’s 13-year-old son, Keoki; 4-year-old daughter, Taryn; and 13-year-old niece, Courtnee Collins. "It just gets so busy around this time. We’ve done Christmas morning shopping. We used to do that annually."
The couple, who are spending $200 less than last year, for the first time bought most of their gifts online from the convenience of their home in the weeks heading up to Christmas.
"Almost every day we had UPS bringing Amazon boxes to our house," Todd Yamamoto said. "She’s a professional last-minute shopper. It’s less stressful than (shopping) on Christmas Day. We’re getting better. Next year maybe we won’t even be here."
Ala Moana resident Jarrett Wu, 36, also attributed "procrastination and poor planning" as the reasons he was rushing to get a Tory Burch bag and gift cards checked off his list.
"I can’t help it, I’m busy working," said Wu, who has been shopping on Christmas Eve for the past 25 years. "It’s stressful when I have to look for parking. I’m done with shopping, this is it."
Meanwhile, Aiea resident Scott Quiocho and his teenage daughters, Kaylen and Kylee Kamalani, were brainstorming what to buy a few of their immediate family members.
"I just procrastinate, and I always say every year I want to go earlier but it never happens," said Quiocho, who’s been shopping on Christmas Eve for the past three years. "It’s bad planning. It’s meeting the deadline and getting people what they want or what we think they want. Life, it gets busier and there’s not enough time. It’s fast."
Part-time Honolulu resident Rachel Linden, 39, was shopping for the first time on Christmas Eve with her 14-year-old daughter, Georgia, at T.J. Maxx at Ward Village Shops.
The family’s presents, which Linden sent from the mainland weeks ago, won’t be shipped to Hawaii in time for Christmas.
"My thought was, I’ll just go and pick up a few things," Linden said.
"You get busy at the beach as you do, and I thought, I’ll have plenty of time. That time ran out really quick, so here I am. We’re out rushing trying to replace a few things that didn’t show up."
The economy has driven some consumers to be more frugal this year.
Linden said she bought a lot of more practical gift cards for places like Subway and is giving cash as opposed to nonessential items like clothing or electronics.
"It seems to be very much appreciated right now," she said. "Just being frugal, I think, is important. It’s almost a social responsibility right now and to be mindful of where you do spend your money. I felt like I really didn’t want to buy a ton of stuff this year, just some meaningful things. We’re just having a modest Christmas this year, picking things we know people will appreciate as opposed to just not wanting to show up empty-handed."
For retailers, Christmas Eve traffic and sales were mixed, but nowhere close to Black Friday, said Fred Paine, general manager of Pearlridge Center.
Sales for some Pearlridge merchants are ahead of last year but are flat for others, he said.
Many shoppers took advantage of deep discounts on Black Friday and promotions earlier in the month, which likely affected the number of Christmas Eve shoppers.
In addition, the round-the-clock openings of Macy’s and Toys R Us this past weekend "took a lot of the pressure out of today," Paine said.
"This is sort of an average Christmas Eve," Paine added.
"To not have to fight the crowds (over the weekend), that sort of relieved the last-minute pressure. It was more convenient for them to maybe shop late in the evenings. That, I think, definitely had a positive effect. I think people got the value out of their shopping early on. There’s heavier traffic than usual, but there wasn’t a lot of panic like I’ve seen in years past."
