TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - More than 50% of Americans are "last-minute Christmas shoppers". That means they wait until at least the last Saturday before Christmas. That's according to a survey from the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights and Analytics.
This seemed to be the case in Terre Haute throughout the day on Tuesday. Businesses were booming and, in fact, many of them prepared hired extra personnel and had sales to lure more customers in anticipation of the Christmas Eve rush.
Shoppers said they had been busy throughout the holiday season, and Christmas Eve was their first day off to get Christmas presents.
Terre Haute resident Tyler Nemeth said having so many retail options in Terre Haute makes it easy to wait. He felt better knowing he wasn't the only one who waited until the last minute.
"Time just kinda got the best of me this year. I knew I could get everything I still needed to get here in town so I figured I might as well do it while I had the day off," he said, "I definitely wasn't the only one. There were a lot of people who procrastinated just like me so a lot of stores got good business today."
As for next year, Nemeth says he will change his strategy. "I'm definitely going to try and get out earlier next year," he said, "I got everything I needed to buy it's a lot more stressful when you wait and I'd much rather spend time with the family."
