Frigid, Snowy Weather May Put A Damper On Last-Minute Holiday Shopping

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The winter storm comes at a bad time for those who still have Christmas shopping to do. The last weekend days of the holiday are going to be a mess. Stores are hoping the snow doesn't stop people from shopping.

"I'm from northern Minnesota, so we just come down for a weekend once a year and do some shopping," Calloway, Minnesota resident Cassie Haus said.

The weekend before Christmas is a busy time for people who have last minute shopping to finish, but one look at the forecast and you might think twice about venturing out.

"We're from Minnesot.a I love winter," said Lois Anderson of Little Falls.

Temperatures that begin with the word "negative" and close to 10 inches of snow will put true Minnesotans to the test.

For many, the snow and cold won't stopping the shopping, especially at Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove, where shopping at trendy stores requires a walk outside.

"Whenever the temperatures drop we still have a lot of people, especially this close to Christmas," Arbor Lakes marketing director Jenny Zaft said. "People are on a mission."

Zaft says Arbor Lakes is ready for a rush of holiday shoppers. Some stores are going above and beyond to attract those braving the elements to spend their cash.

"Trader Joe's always has coffee you can come and sample Friday night, and Saturday night from [4 p.m. to 6 p.m.] they sample wines. That helps," Zaft said. "Teavanna always does tea samples, so you can stop in there, and Williams and Sonoma always has warm cider on tap to kind of warm you up a little bit."

Zaft says Arbor Lakes has added angled parking in front of stores in hopes of limiting the amount of time shoppers spend dealing with the snow.

For most, the challenge is to get your shopping finished before the snow hits. Shopping and strip malls will also get a workout during the last weekend of Christmas shopping.

MnDOT says if you do drive, be careful -- not only will it be cold and snowy, it will be windy, making visibility a challenge when driving from store to store.