More than 158 million people nationwide are expected to shop Saturday or “Super Saturday,” the last full weekend before Christmas Day.
Shoppers said that due to the inflation, it’s a different experience this year as they are spending less and are more strategic.
“I probably will spend a little less, just to make sure I have money left in the bank,” said Santa Clara resident Matthew Gabriel.
Higher prices and rising interest rates are shifting consumer spending habits and it was reflected at Westfield Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara, with many shoppers scouring stores for deals.
“I always look for sale, everything has to be on sale,” said San Jose resident Glenda Morrison.
Another change this year? On this Super Saturday, NBC Bay Area found there were still plenty of parking spots open and other than a long line for a restaurant, most lines were short.
“I thought it was going to be really packed, but it wasn’t. We came, we parked, got in, it was really nice,” said San Jose resident Chris Levy.
So, what are the hot ticket items?
According to the National Retail Federation, the top five gifts people are buying this year are clothing, toys, gift card, books and food.
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People also aren't just headed to department stores as they’re also shopping local. In San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood, store owners were happy to see customers pour in.
“I think we’ve seen a ramp up. We feel like we are a little slower than we were this time last year. But we are in the countdown to Christmas. So, people are really starting to show up. We are starting to see things really get busy now. So we got great expectations,” said Matt Rothschild with the Universal Connection Store.
