MISSOULA — It's been a big day for last minute elves, as shoppers make their last minute scramble all over Western Montana.
At stores from Missoula, to Kalispell, Hamilton, Polson -- and points in between -- stores were doing a brisk business as the 2019 Christmas season comes to a close.
With Thanksgiving falling late again in November, many shoppers found themselves rapidly running out of time to complete their purchases.
Or in some cases, just spending a lot of time debating prices that plunged on Black Friday with the final deals, or rushing to make purchases locally after blowing through online shipping deadlines.
However, although most stores were busy, it didn't appear it was quite as crowded as Monday, lots of people were snapping up stocking stuffers -- and there was the usual avalanche of guys who were just starting their shopping.
With Christmas falling mid-week, there's plenty of time for stores to sell the rest of this week. It's expected the post-holiday sales period that starts Thursday could be brisk as well as people make returns -- or shop for themselves.
