Raleigh shoppers delight in after-Christmas sales, returns

The urgency was gone, but not the urge to find good deals.

Chris Valentine and his family couldn't resist as they strolled around Crabtree Valley Mall on Friday.

"We started wasting some time, and the sales kind of pulled us into different stores,” he said.

The storefront signs beckoned: Fabulous! Buy-one-get-one! Fifty percent off! Seventy-five percent off!

Shopper Kimberly Mace had dollar signs in her eyes. Although she got everything she wanted for Christmas, the day after holds the allure of better sales.

“I can get more for a cheaper price,” she said.

For some shoppers, a visit to Crabtree was about more than just scoring deals. Nicky Williams was cashing in on some "me" time.

“And to pick up some last-minute gifts that I didn’t get before Christmas,” Williams said. “(They are) tardy gifts, but I think they’ll be appreciated nonetheless.”

Of course, plenty of shoppers were making returns for gifts that were not so well-received. Policies for returns vary by store and item, but there is advice that is universal: