Lured by the prospect of bargains, thousands of shoppers flocked to area stores yesterday, many in search of Christmas future.
Wrapping paper, ornaments, garland and holiday cards -- at half-price -- had almost completely disappeared from store shelves by mid-day as customers stocked up for next year.
"We're pretty well cleaned out," said Bob Wagner, owner of eight Christmas Etc. stores, including one in Security Square mall. His store will be open through today, and by closing time "everything will be gone," he predicted.
At Valley View Farms in Cockeysville, customers began surrounding the building an hour before the store's 6 a.m. opening to get the first chance to buy ornaments and theme-decorated artificial trees at half-price, including one decorated entirely in purple.
"They walked in four abreast," said Kathy Debus, the nursery's Christmas Shop manager. "It took about 20 minutes for them to get into the store."
Five-year-old Rachel Bagley arrived about 11 a.m. in the third wave of shoppers to hit Valley View, and quickly found her heart's desire: two teeny-weeny, red-and-white stockings.
"Those are for my goldfish that I got for Christmas," she said. "Their names are Muffy and Buffy."
While Rachel inspected stockings, Buck Storck and his 5-year-old daughter, Jessica, were busy hunting for another Christmas symbol.
"We're looking for a Nativity scene with Mary, Joseph and Jesus, but we haven't found it yet," said Jessica.
"She just started going to Catholic school this year and all of a sudden it became very important," Mr. Storck said.
At area malls, though, returns were the day's first priority, followed closely by post-Christmas sales and the hunt for those ever-elusive "batteries not included."
"We're here returning clothes; actually, all of them are my gifts to [my wife] that were the wrong size," said an embarrassed Joe Mullen at Marley Station Mall. "Once we get done with the returns, then we'll start looking for other bargains."
The perennial gift of ugly men's neckwear was among the most " commonly returned items. At the Knot Shop in The Mall at Columbia, at least half a dozen polyester "Three Stooges" ties had been exchanged by fathers and grandfathers who didn't find them nearly as funny as their children and grandchildren did, said Kyra Wells, the store's manager.
At Nordstrom's in Towson, about one-third of the day's business was made up of returns, said Tony Young, the store's manager.
"We'll be getting more returns as the week goes on. Some days around Christmas we get up to 50 percent returns, but we expect that because we have such a liberal return policy," Ms. Young said.
Most of the day's business, however, was due to the half-yearly sale on menswear.
"This has been a good day for us, and it will be better than last year because the weather's better," Ms. Young said. "And last year, the day after Christmas was a Sunday -- this year we'll be open three more hours for shopping."
Perhaps the most sought-after item at the malls yesterday was the rare 9.6-volt battery -- a necessity for a popular brand of radio-controlled cars.
"There have been lots of people looking for those batteries, but we're totally out," said Patti Jones, a sales associate at Kay-Bee Toy & Hobby Shop in Marley Station. "Some people just didn't look at the box before Christmas, and now their kids' gifts won't work."
And still other parents were buying post-Christmas gifts, like Barry McMahon, of Salisbury, who was having lunch with his 4-year-old daughter, Katie, at the Towson Town Center before beginning the search for a certain baby doll.
"We're visiting my father for Christmas," he explained. "Katie really wanted a crawling baby, and we thought someone else was going to get it for her. But since she didn't get one for vTC Christmas, we thought we'd come out today to look. It was the one gift she really wanted."
Not everyone managed to satisfy the desire for one last taste of Christmas present, though.
Four-year-old Joanna Smith appeared heartbroken when she came upon the abandoned Christmas Village at Security Square Mall.
"Where is Santa? Why isn't he here?" she asked, her upper lip quivering.
"Sorry, honey. We'll just have to wait until next year to see Santa again," her father, Robert Smith, explained gently.