A COVID-19 kind of pre-Christmas shopping week: residents head to stores despite pandemic

Despite all the concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, the pace of last-minute Christmas shopping has been picking up the past few days.

Noting there were shortages of some items,  Guam shoppers who ventured out were not leaving local stores disappointed. 

Sarah Hodges of Agana Heights was waiting in line Tuesday for the opening of Micronesia Mall in Dededo.

"It's late Christmas shopping, poor planning on my end,” Hodges said. She was looking for gifts for her relatives and siblings.  “It’s hard to shop for them. It’s those things where you look at it and know it’s something they would want. The stores are definitely less stocked than they were before.”

Tanya Pangelinan of Talofofo is not normally an early shopper for Christmas, but this day she had already been at Ross, a favorite, at 6 a.m.

“I found everything I need,” she said. “I’m just here for my friend who has to finish her Christmas shopping.”

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“I did my shopping last week with my wife and my daughter. Turned out pretty well," said Charlies Bombase of Yigo. "With this pandemic and all, it’s really hard to go shopping with a lot of people. Basically, we want to go shopping with less people and my daughter’s only 11 months old."

Hikko Lin was a busy man as Christmas Eve approached. The kind of busy retailers like.

He’s the manager of Hornet Sports in Tamuning.

“We’re kind of busy,” Lin said, adding that mountain bikes are particularly popular this year. “It seems like a lot more people are riding this year, so we’re doing a lot of repairs.”

Pandemic or not, Lin is expecting a busy Christmas Eve, pretty much like pre-pandemic 2019. “Usually the last couple of days are the busiest,” he said.

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At Guam Premier Outlets Wednesday, Wayne Wang of Tamuning had a couple of packages in hand. He looks for bargains and promotions during the holiday season, but isn’t sure he’s finished with his Christmas shopping.

“Everything is cheaper than usual today,” he said, “but last year more items were available for sale.”

Josh Cepeda of Dededo said he was still looking for bargains.

"Right now, I’m just cruising and seeing if there are any deals I can find,” Cepeda said. This Christmas season has a different feel, he added. “Totally different, with the restrictions and all. There’s all these lines I try to avoid the stores that have lines, so I can have easy access.”

Chris Woolley of Yona registered a shopping complaint.

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“A lot of places haven’t got the stuff in they’re advertising for sale. Waited in a line the other day to get a computer game. Took the box off the shelf, brand new, not second-hand. Get to buy it. Not in stock. Why put an empty box on the shelf? ” Woolley said though that he’s happy as long as the grocery stores are fully stocked.

Fred Paulino of Talofofo said he was actually ahead of his usual schedule.

“Usually I’m shopping on Christmas Eve, wrapping it and they open on Christmas Day, but this year I was actually early with my stuff, so actually what you see here is the last of what I needed to get, so I’m excited.”

Buzz Shiroma, Townhouse Furniture manager in Maite said the pandemic has forced residents to look over their surroundings and improve them with new purchases. Unfortunately, major appliances are temporarily in short supply, but the hot item in stock for last-minute shoppers is recliners.

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“The last-minute shoppers, they’re the serious ones,” Shiroma said. “They’re the ones that want to buy. They’re the ones who’ve got the money to spend and if you’re not available, they’re going to find somebody else.”

Sgt. Paul Tapao, spokesman for the Guam Police Department, urged last-minute shoppers to remain vigilant during their shopping trips.  

“Last-minute shoppers are going to be trickling out on the roads. We’ve seen an influx of traffic,” Tapao said. “Be cognizant of your surroundings when you go to malls and stores. Secure your belongings.” 

This article originally appeared on Pacific Daily News: A COVID-19 kind of pre-Christmas shopping week: residents head to stores despite pandemic