HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Armed with Christmas cash, gift cards, and presents to return or exchange, hundreds of bargain hunters flocked to Ala Moana Shopping Center on Thursday to take advantage of after-Christmas sales.

Local retailers say it was not as crowded as previous years, and it could be a sign of the times.

“I just get whatever’s cheap, whatever I can afford,” shopper Brooklyn Oros said. “I don’t want to waste my money that’s why, because I don’t really get a lot, so yeah we’re saving it for something special.”

Others simply came to enjoy the atmosphere.

“Spend Christmas with the family, and then come out here when probably the crowds are a little less, but not too bad so far,” said Moses Lee, who lived in Hawaii for a bit and now lives in Louisiana.

“I got li hing mui, the best on the island,” said Edwin Julian of Ewa. “At ABC Store. They didn’t have it for one year, and I’m just here along for the ride. I went fishing this morning. I didn’t catch anything, so I think I’m going to jump on with them. And then I just went to check and then they had it.”

Crowds showed up early at Manaola on a mission.

“Mostly exchanges though trying to get different sizing for people that bought for them, and then also we’re seeing a lot of people come in, just to shop around,” said manager Daniel lnayoshi. “I’m sure a lot of people got Christmas monies.”

Retailers say they’re seeing the highs and lows of the holiday shopping season — noting smaller crowds compared to last year — as more shoppers watch what they spend ahead of an uncertain economy.

“After Christmas right now it’s kind of slow because maybe people are still sleeping, after all this holiday and eating too much food, we’re gonna pick it up after,” said Thelma Alvarado, Store Manager at Martin & MacArthur, which specializes in art and products crafted from koa wood.

At Maui Divers Jewelry, Christmas is just the start of a season of giving that goes into the new year and Valentines Day.

“We see a lot of people are snowbirds, our international customers that will come in. We see some of our kamaainas returning back home because maybe they were away and so we’ll see more of an overflow of holiday shopping,” said general manager Aaron Navarro.

A trend businesses hope will continue throughout 2025.

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