Shoppers rush to buy last minute gifts

MOBILE, Ala. - If you're still not finished with your Christmas shopping, you are not alone. Retailers all over the area were packed with last minute shoppers.

Employees at Best Buy in Springdale Mall said they were expecting the large crowds. Allison Midgette and about 60 other employees got to work at 6:00 Thursday morning.

"We opened at 7:00. We had people waiting at the door, they were actually looking for a certain DVD player that was on a really good price, but we sold out within three hours," Midgette said.

This was Jeremy Wright's first time to be working in the store on Christmas Eve.

"I think it's very hectic. We have had customers in here since 7 o'clock this morning and I'm kind of surprised people waited this late to get their last minute gifts. But when it comes down to it, you got to get what you got to get," Wright said.

Whether it was a TV, computer, or camera, people were filling up carts and swiping the plastic in hurry.

One group of people were literally racing the clock before their ship set sail. Employees from the cruise ship Fantasy were in port, but they only had a few hours to shop.

"After three o'clock so we got a few hours, like two or three hours and then we go back to the ship and cruise," said one employee.

They said typically they wouldn't do too much shopping, but everyone on the boat has been excited about buying a few new things, like cameras and iPods.

"In India we don't celebrate as much as here, but on the ship it's like a big thing. Everybody is buying new stuff and all, so we have to go and buy some stuff for ourselves."

When they do get the opportunity to get off of the ship and so some shopping, they said it has to be a one stop shop because they usually can't return anything.

"When we come from a cruise ship we buy the stuff and we go like anything because we haven't got time to see the stuff like ten times like the other people who come from the land."