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Shoppers swapping digital carts for mall crowds
Christmas shopping is in full swing and Americans are choosing to pack the malls this holiday season. FOX 10's Megan Spector checks out a mall in Tempe, where stores are packed and people are ready to spend.
TEMPE, Ariz. - Online shopping has made it very easy to buy almost anything with the click of a button, but there’s a good amount of people who still choose to shop in person, and the packed parking lot at Arizona Mills Mall proves that.
There’s just something about heading to the mall during the holidays with a good old-fashioned gift list.
By the numbers:
At the start of December, the National Retail Federation (NRF) released their numbers about the record spending amount during Thanksgiving weekend.
Shopping online still seems to take first place, with 134.9 million shoppers.
But in-store shopping was up by 3% from last year, with a total of 129.5 million people hitting the stores. So it’s clear there are still plenty of people making the trek to the mall.
Local perspective:
Shoppers shared their reasons for choosing brick-and-mortar stores over e-commerce.
"It's personal and I like to support local versus shopping online—because you don't know where that's coming from," one shopper said.
"It's just better to just have the stuff on hand than waiting for it in the mail just to see if it fits at all," another shopper said.
"It’s better to come in person so we can take the stuff home the same day and we’ve got the right sizes," said a third shopper.
While there are advantages to online shopping too, many people enjoy the in-person experience, getting into the holiday spirit alongside other shoppers.
Map of Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe.
The Source: This information was gathered from the National Retail Federation and shoppers at Arizona Mills Mall on Dec. 7.