Last Minute Shoppers Picking Through Empty Shelves

If you're reading this, you've probably finished your Christmas shopping.  The News On 6's Steve Berg reports there are still people out shopping right now.  You would think they would be all stressed out, but compared to what we've all been through, this is a piece of cake.

Why would anyone subject themselves to crowds and traffic on Christmas Eve?

"I'm Christmas shopping," said Debra McIntosh with a laugh.

They've had weeks, even months to get their shopping done.  What possible excuse could they have for waiting until the last day before Christmas?

"Well, I work at an electrical supply house, so we supplied parts to people last week and this week to get their power back on.  So this was the last chance I had to get it done," said Mark Linson.

That's actually a pretty good excuse.

"The ice storm.  My daughter lost power, and we just got it back Saturday," said McIntosh.

That's almost 2 weeks without power.  So we can definitely give her some slack.  It seems a lot people had the same problem.

"The thing that went wrong for me this year was basically the ice storm.  I'm usually a little more prepared, but I found the ice storm came and I totally forgot about Christmas," said Beth Bridgewater.

Now though, on a bright sunny day, in spite of the clock ticking, most people didn't seem to have a care in the world.

"For the first time, I'm just really embracing the season and no pressures, getting everything through.  Actually it's not as crowded as I thought," said Greg McCann.

Unfortunately, some of the shelves are not very crowded either.

"People are nice, but it's bare, and I'm not finding what I want," said Linson.

For some they had to go to unexpected places.

"I'm just, things are picked through pretty much, so I'm going places I didn't expect to go," said Bridgewater.

Sometimes it's the simplest thing that makes the best gift.

"Best gift was electricity this year," said Bridgewater.

Store hours vary like crazy, so call ahead.