Document text
Photo by Jim Craven Mike Carpenter of Medford waited until he got paid this week to begin his Christmas shopping. Others at the Rogue Valley Mall Wednesday said it's not always procrastination that causes folks to leave shopping until the last minute. Waited until last minute? Be ready to join an army of frenzied holiday shoppers By DAVID PRESZLER She was only a few hours into her Christmas shopping, but Mary Valdez wasn't panicked Wednesday as she made her way through the Rogue Valley Mall. "It's usually the day before Christmas, so I'm a day ahead," the Central Point woman said. "Last year, I was here when they closed the doors the day before Christmas." Last-minute shopping is a long-standing Christmas tradition, as swelling store parking lots and long checkout lines today likely will attest. Those who practice the one- to two-day scramble are often labelled procrastinators. But shoppers who hit the stores Wednesday as the rush began to pick up steam say other forces are often at work. "I didn't have time until now because I've been working," explained Valdez, who by noon had bought for three of the eight people on her list. "This is my day off." Mike Carpenter of Medford told a similar story of means and opportunity. Wednesday was payday and his day off, so it was logically the time to go. But he wasn't dallying about trying to figure out what to buy. "I've got everybody done," said Carpenter, who finished in less than two hours. "I knew exactly what I needed, came to get it and now I'm leaving. That's the way I do it every year." Alice and Ralph Martinez of Weed, Calif., also waited for a day off and had a strategy before making the trek north to shop for their grandchildren. They said waiting until the last minute does have its advantages. "We wait and find out what everyone else is getting them and then get whatever they don't -- it makes it easier," Alice Martinez said. Though there's a certain stress that comes with the territory, Ralph Martinez said the experience is generally pleasant. "It's a lot of fun," he said. "I like being in the crowd. It makes it more exciting. You've got to have patience and time -- and now we've got the time." Many people aren't expected to make time until today, whether it be rushing out for stocking stuffers or tackling the whole task at once. The mall closes at 6 tonight. "(Today's) the day," said Kurt Wine, who's manned Faith Tabernacle of Ashland's gift-wrapping booth at the mall for 13 years. "We'll probably have 6-8 people in here wrapping." "Everybody is scheduled," said Aristotle Nazareth, assistant manager at Lechter's Housewares. "We'll be ready." Mall officials are hoping to be ready as well. Marketing director Jill Ditty said mall security officers have been directing traffic for several days to ease parking lot congestion. She said the mall looked into getting the timing of traffic lights adjusted for the rush, but city officials were concerned that adjusting some would disrupt traffic elsewhere. "Every year we try to solve it," Ditty said of the congestion. "We just hope everybody is patient and understanding. "We hope there's enough holiday spirit left out there on Christmas Eve." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA