LAST-MINUTE SHOPPERS CROWD STORES SOME RETAILERS EXTEND HOURS TO ACCOMMODATE CHRISTMAS BUYERS.Byline: Amy Raisin raisin, in botany and cooking raisin, dried fruit of certain varieties of grapevines bearing grapes with a high content of sugar and solid flesh. Although the fruit is sometimes artificially dehydrated, it is usually sun-dried. Staff Writer VALENCIA Valencia, region, Spain Valencia (välān`thēä), autonomous region (1990 pop. 3,902,429) and former kingdom, E Spain, on the Mediterranean. It now comprises the provinces of Alicante, Castellón, and Valencia. - The Valencia Town Center, with expanded 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. hours, was a tribute to the mad holiday rush Saturday - with parents and children adding more and more bags to their arms as they attempted to finish shopping for everyone on their lists. ``It's been so packed the last couple of weeks, you could stir it with a stick,'' said Natasha Martin of Valencia, waiting in line with her daughters to have their picture taken with Santa. ``We've still got gifts to buy.'' Stefanie Landin of Sylmar was an admitted last-minute shopper, but she arrived at the mall by 9 a.m. in hopes of avoiding the crowds and getting back home to her 3-year-old son. ``I definitely expected a crowd,'' Landin said. ``I expect I'll shop about 2 1/2 more hours, and then I'm done. I don't want to have to do any shopping (on Sunday Sunday: see Sabbath; week. ).'' Landin added that she's spent more on gifts this year than last, attributing it to her son getting older and ``wanting everything he sees.'' But not all the weekend shoppers were out buying Christmas gifts - Corrine Doubiago of Valencia toted numerous bags on her arm but said she was shopping for herself. ``I finished my gift shopping about a month ago, so now I'm just getting myself some things,'' she said. Asked why she would brave the mall at such a crowed time, she supplied a simple answer: ``All the good stuff's gone after the holiday.'' At the Kmart down the street, registers rang and lines were thick with last-minute shoppers. Doing customary holiday hours one better, the chain store opened its doors for 86 straight hours, from 6 a.m. Thursday to 8 p.m. today. ``The crowds have slowed at about 2 a.m. and then picked up again between 4 and 5 a.m.,'' said store manager Jennifer Carney car·ney n. Informal Variant of carny. . ``We have had people sporadically spo·rad·ic also spo·rad·i·cal adj. 1. Occurring at irregular intervals; having no pattern or order in time. See Synonyms at periodic. 2. Appearing singly or at widely scattered localities, as a plant or disease. throughout the night. But it's been nonstop HP's brand name for its fault-tolerant servers, which range in size from four CPUs to 4,000 CPUs. The NonStop line was created by Tandem Computers, which was acquired by Compaq, which later became part of HP. busy the last three days.'' Carney, who said she expected that the crowds would begin to thin around dinner time tonight, said she's been pleased by the overall patience of the customers during the hectic hec·tic adj. 1. Characterized by intense activity, confusion, or haste: "There was nothing feverish or hectic about his vigor" Erik Erikson. 2. holiday crowds. ``Everyone's been pretty good and polite about the lines. I guess the last-minute shoppers knew they'd have to stand in line and wait,'' Carney said. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Shopper Stefanie Landin of Sylmar still had Christmas gifts to buy for 10 people Saturday at Valencia Town Center. (2 -- 3 -- color) Left, a line forms at Hickory Hickory, city, United States Hickory, city (1990 pop. 28,301), Burke and Catawba counties, W N.C., at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mts.; inc. 1870. It is a processing and trade center for an abundant agricultural region (grain, soybeans, poultry, hogs, Farms at Valencia Town Center. At right, sisters Bronte, left, and Madilyne Condo of Valencia wait in line to see Santa. David R. Crane/Staff Photographer |
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