Last minute Christmas shoppers out in full force: 'Every year on the 24th, I’m here'

PHOENIX - With only a few more hours left until Christmas Day, some shoppers pushed it until the last minute to get what they need to celebrate.

It appears there are two kinds of people in the world. Those who get everything done days, even weeks, beforehand, and then people like Ernie Mariano. 

"Every year on the 24th, I’m here," he said. "It’s how I’ve always been. I’m a pro-procrastinator."

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He says coming to the Mo Money Pawn Shop on Indian School Road and 12th Street is a holiday tradition for Mariano.

Each Christmas Eve, he has one task in mind – "Getting a last-minute gift for my wife, so she’ll still talk to me after Christmas."

He ultimately settled on a gold necklace for her to open up on Christmas morning.

He’s one of many flocking to the pawn shop with hours to spare.

"It’s one of the best places you want to come to if you need to do some last-minute shopping," another shopper named Pedro said.

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Meanwhile, others went to a downtown Phoenix market to pick up last-minute gifts like handcrafted bags, soaps, or cookies.

For those who needed more ingredients for dinner or dessert, the aisles at Walgreens were full of frantic shoppers, like Matthew Solberg.

"I got my photos so I could put them in the frames and get them wrapped before Christmas Eve," Solberg said.

The latest of the latest procrastinators might be out of luck Christmas Eve night as stores like Costco, grocery stores, and other stores have already shut their doors.

If you really, really want to push it, Walgreens will be open tomorrow morning, but the hours vary per location.

We have a list of places open on Christmas and you can find it here.

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