Foot traffic was heavy and parking lots full at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh Friday the last weekday before Christmas 2011. But the crowds and retailers shared the Christmas spirit, in contrast with other places across the country where scuffles broke out over a new edition of some popular basketball shoes.
Air Jordans cause shopping frenzy
Shoppers stood in long lines through the night to get their hands on a retro version of one of the most popular models of Nike’s Air Jordans ever made. were reported Friday at shopping centers from Washington state to Georgia. suburban Seattle, police used pepper spray on about 20 customers who started fighting at the Westfield Southcenter mall.
Christmas Eve shopping hours
A representative for Nike, based in Beaverton, Ore., was not immediately available to comment.
Though there were crowds, there was no such excitement in Raleigh.
Troy Wright said the season just got away from him. "We try to do it early each year, but each year it keeps getting later and later for some reason. We don’t know why. It always happens," he said.
Shoppers crowd stores for last minute gifts
Shopper Troy Wright was sanguine about the last minute crush. got up this morning and said I needed to run some errands, and I ended up here in all this traffic," he said.
Shopper Francoise Desir said she was looking for bargains. they left the mall, the shoppers delivered a gift to retailers, who are looking for a robust bottom line. Some even saw the $180 Air Jordans move off their shelves and onto resale websites, where pairs were selling for $400 and up.