WILLMAR -- If it's not even beginning to look at lot like Christmas at your house -- and you can see all the way to the trunk of the Christmas tree -- now is the time to get out there and do that last-minute Christmas shopping.
Most stores in Willmar are open into the evening today and open some portion of Sunday, which is Christmas Eve. Individual store hours may vary, but the Kandi Mall is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Many stores have sales events going on and are fully staffed to help shoppers.
The doors at J.C. Penney in the Kandi Mall opened at 6 a.m. this morning and will close at midnight. Sunday the store is open until to 4 p.m., giving ample opportunity for last-minute shoppers, according to Roger Thorson, store manager.
The store has sales for the last-minute shoppers and, for the deal hunters, the store is also putting items on clearance before Christmas, instead of waiting until after the holiday.
Thorson, who's been in retail for 27 years, says the antics of last-minute shoppers are humorous and numerous. He's got a code name for the individuals who wait to the last shopping day -- MIPs -- or Men in Panic.
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"This is the male who only goes shopping once a year," he explains. Store personnel can sense an MIP by the panicked look in his eyes and know that he will not venture far off the main aisles of the store to find a gift. He'll need lots of help with his purchases, and they are ready with that assistance.
Retail is a tough business, with long hours this time of year. The store personnel need a good laugh to keep their spirits up through it all, he says.
"Every day in the lunch room, we talk about what happened today," he said. "They (shoppers) keep us laughing, that's for sure."
Diamonds -- and gemstones, gold and silver -- are a girl's best friend. Mike Noonan of Elmquist Jewelers advises customers to do their homework -- even at the last minute -- when buying jewelry. With two goldsmiths on staff, customers can still get custom work done today. The store is also open from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday.
Noonan admits that having the goldsmiths available, plus numerous jewelry products on hand, may entice last-minute shoppers to wait even longer.
"We do try to make it easy," he said. "They always know they can find what they want here."
This Christmas, Apple iPods and digital cameras are really popular at Best Buy, according to Adam Smith, customer experience manager at the new Willmar store.
"Lots of people are picking up iPods. Any of the iPods, they've been very popular," he said.
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Still don't know what to buy for someone you love? Gift cards, Smith says, are always a good idea.
Every year, Elmquist's hosts a men's night, serving sandwiches and refreshments and giving men an opportunity to shop for jewelry for the women in their lives. The event is quite popular, so much so that parking in downtown is at a premium.
One year, Noonan tells, a customer walked into the store on the men's night, laughed and told him about the parking problem.
"He couldn't find a parking spot in all of downtown," he said. "It was all pickups."
