Blame it on the economy, department stores are hoping for the last minute shoppers to come through for the holidays this year. However retail chains, like Wal-Mart are seeing lots of business as gifts at discount prices seem to be the trend this holiday season. Since Wal-Mart is known for it’s everyday low prices people tend to frequent there, and when the economy gets tough people want to save money and watch what they spend. Since the economy has been in a slump, people are spending less and spending wisely. So retail store officials are hoping that their success continues on through the rest of the shopping weekend. The retail stores in the area all have extended shopping hours for the holidays, including Christmas Eve.