SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Last-minute Christmas shoppers filled University Mall on Sunday, three days before Christmas, as people rushed to find gifts before stores run out of inventory.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast minute Christmas shopping,\u201d said Morgan Sutliff of Jericho, echoing the sentiment of many shoppers at the South Burlington mall.<\/p>\n
Jacob Turner of Milton said he turned to in-person shopping after realizing online delivery wouldn\u2019t work. \u201cThree days left, and I realized Amazon can\u2019t get it there in time so here we are,\u201d Turner said.<\/p>\n
Hayden Bassett of Vergennes said he was shopping for \u201clast minute shopping for friends and my girlfriend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Katerin Smith of Jericho said the holiday season had passed quickly. \u201cI haven\u2019t had a chance to go shopping yet because the season has just gone,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
Shoppers said they were pleased to see the mall busy, noting that crowds are not typical at the location.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s exciting, I never see people in the mall, so it\u2019s really exciting having people here,\u201d Bassett said.<\/p>\n
Foot traffic remained constant throughout the day, with shoppers carrying full bags and families visiting Santa for photos.<\/p>\n
Local vendors said the weekend was one of their busiest of the year, with constant foot traffic providing sales opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s people walking by nonstop I set up my shelves over there, the train was coming by I had to look out for that, it gets wild here this weekend,\u201d said Corey Flynn of Montpelier.<\/p>\n
Ricky Blanchard of Glover said customers seemed surprised by the mall\u2019s activity. <\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody is so happy and I think a lot of people are surprised that the mall has this many stores, and it\u2019s doing this well, and I hope they continue to support us so we can always have a mall to go to,\u201d Blanchard said.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t just University Mall that saw shopping crowds. Church Street Marketplace in Burlington was packed too. The holiday train allowed kids to ride up and down the street.<\/p>\n
After a tough year with construction and public safety issues, businesses along the marketplace say this time of year gives them a boost.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean even just looking out the window and seeing how busy it is, and how busy it gets in here. I mean we definitely get customers who make comments about the atmosphere down here, but I mean people care about supporting local businesses and like it\u2019s Church Street, it\u2019s the place to be in Burlington,\u201d River Bond, Assistant Manager at VT Flannel Co. said. <\/p>\n
Shoppers warned that some stores were already running low on inventory.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you haven\u2019t gotten any gifts yet for someone then get out now because the Target has already been like wiped completely out,\u201d Katerin Smith said.<\/p>\n
Her daughter Kora Smith offered a reminder: \u201cRemember only four sleeps till Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
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