Many area malls are extending their hours this weekend to entice last-minute shoppers.
“We’re having a good season so far … I see people at lunch time with both hands full of shopping bags,” said an employee of L.L. Bean in Tysons Corner Center, who declined to give her name because she was not an official spokeswoman. The store, which has not closed since Black Friday, is one of six L.L. Beans in the country with 24/7 operations.
According to the National Retail Federation, department stores are the most popular destination the week before Christmas. About 42.4 percent of shoppers plan to shop at department stores, with discount stores ranked second (38.9 percent), followed by the Internet (34.9 percent) and specialty stores (29.9 percent).
The L.L. Bean employee said she has seen about the same amount of customer traffic as last year, although it seems like the crowds came later on in the season this year. One event driving shoppers to the mall was the snowstorm the beginning of December, she said. Her store will stay openuntil 6 p.m. on Dec. 24.
Tysons Corner Center itself is open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday; and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday. The Macy’s, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s in the mall are open longer. Macy’s, for example, is open from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Friday and Sunday; 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Saturday; and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Some large chain stores, such as Best Buy and Circuit City, have in-store pickup guarantees for online orders literally up until the 11th hour.
Circuit City guarantees in-store pickup within 24 minutes of ordering an item online, valid up until 4:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, according to a spokeswoman. Most stores are open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. this weekend, and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
Best Buy also has in-store pickup until 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve, which typically takes under 45 minutes. Once a customer presents a confirmation e-mail at the store, Best Buy has a one-minute guarantee for item pickup.
