ROANOKE, Va. – If you still haven’t done your Christmas shopping yet, the clock is ticking.
Tierra Martin at Valley View Mall said she typically is done before now but this year was different.
“Not in the Christmas spirit, and I’m still trying to get that way, so it’s been hard,” said Martin.
Martin was still shopping for her nieces and nephews.
However, she is not alone. Casey Pendleton said she waited until the last minute to catch some deals.
“It’s been working out pretty well. Pretty much every store we’ve been in has a good sale,” said Pendleton.
Meantime, Mark Edmonds said he was still looking for some more people.
“There’s always some people hard to shop for and we are out today trying to get it done,” said Edmonds.
A Holiday Spending Guide published by Roanoke College’s Economics Professor Alice Kassens said on average, people in Virginia will spend $900 on everything from presents to decorations.
“Now that includes gifts but also things like Christmas tree decorations or other holiday decorations or experiences like going out to dinner, etc. and a good number of people are planning on spending just as much as they did last year,” said Kassens.
If you’re curious about how much people in the state will spend on presents alone, that number is $500.
Christmas can be costly. However, if you’re trying not to break the bank, Kassens suggested shopping around.
“Online access is so much easier now to find things. You can shop around. It takes less of your time to look for potential substitutes for something,” said Kassens.
Kassens also said to write a list for who you want to buy for this holiday season.
However, some last-minute shoppers said the perfect present doesn’t have a price tag, like Jake Meador who was still looking for a gift for his wife.
“Last night, I just said whatever you want I’ll just try to find it,” said Meador.