Short lines, good prices are gifts to Christmas shoppers in Modesto

Shoppers in Modesto were feeling fairly merry and bright on the last weekend day before Christmas. Folks buying gifts at McHenry Village, Toys R Us and Vintage Faire Mall found little to complain about when it came to lines, selection and prices.

“I thought things would be shoulder-to-shoulder in there,” Robert Caine said as he and his wife, Gricelda, emerged from Toys R Us on Sisk Road, pleasantly surprised at the short lines inside about 12:30 p.m.

They said they also found all they were looking for, except a Power Wheels motorized sidewalk vehicle. “My kid asked for a metal detector,” Robert said. It was a surprising request, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to find one, but he did – “for only 20 bucks.”

The Caines made a list, and checked it twice, and came out of Toys R Us $100 under budget. “It was cheaper than we thought it would be,” Gricelda said.

The couple have shopped mainly at stores and have made frequent trips home to drop off gifts. “I don’t want a broken window,” Robert said of the risk of tempting thieves by leaving purchases in their vehicle. He also doesn’t order much online because “there’s lots of stuff on the news about people walking down the street and grabbing packages from porches. ... I want to make sure my money gets home.”

Outside Toys R Us, members of the Beyer High School marching band and color guard were busy wrapping gifts in exchange for donations. They set up their wrapping station Saturday and will be out every day through Christmas Eve. The kids and booster parents are working shifts to keep it open from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. through Wednesday, then from 8:30 to 2:30 on Thursday.

Drum major Courtney Padilla, a junior, said they’ll wrap any gift they can.

“We get people coming over from the mall,” she said. “We’ve wrapped iPads and anything from clothes to laptops.”

The kids are raising money to pay for things like new winter percussion uniforms, said booster parent Rhonda Marchman. In addition to gift wrapping, they’re selling evergreen wreaths and small, live potted Christmas trees.

“It’s going very well,” Marchman said. “The donations have been nice. … Some of the presents are challenging.”

About the time she said that, Carlos and Martha Chavez walked up to see whether they could get a kids bike wrapped, without it looking like a bike. Not without taking it apart, they were told. Ah, well, never mind.

“We’re buying less, but more expensive,” Carlos Chavez said. It’s not that prices have jumped, he said, they’re just buying bigger-ticket gifts for the kids this year. In addition to the bike, they were shopping for paintball guns. The Chavezes were looking for motorized scooters, too, but so far had no luck.

Over at the McHenry Village shopping center, Santa’s Village and horse-drawn wagon rides were doing a steady business.

Kailey Borrego and her mother-in-law, Kathy Borrego, were having 3-year-old Anthony Borrego’s photo taken with Santa Claus.

Mom Kailey said she’d finished her Christmas shopping that morning. She shops much more in stores than online, she said, because she likes to support local businesses and “I like to see what I’m buying.”

She’s been happy with the prices she’s paid this season. There still are plenty of good deals after Black Friday as retailers find themselves with a lot of merchandise, she said.

As for what’s on Anthony’s wish list, she said, “He’s all about the superheroes this year – Batman and Spider-Man.”

“And he’s thrown in Wonder Woman and Catwoman this year,” added Kathy Borrego, Anthony’s grandmother.

Christian Achilleos and Norma Chavez were taking Alexander Achilleos, 4, to see Santa. Dad Christian said he’s about halfway done with his shopping, and he’s found some good deals.

“It’s finding the stuff” that sometimes has been hard, he said. “ ‘Stars Wars’ all seems to be going fast. ... Minecraft and Legos, too.” He’s shopped mainly in stores but has looked online for some of the things he hasn’t found on shelves.

The most hustle and bustle on Sunday, not surprisingly, was at Vintage Faire Mall. But even there, early afternoon parking wasn’t hard to find for drivers who went to the back of the mall, and crowds and lines inside weren’t daunting. Quick stops in a few major retailers, like the Disney Store and Gap, found lines of no more than a few people.

Summer and Sammy Mayer of Modesto were enjoying some mother-daughter shopping time. Emerging from Disney, mom Summer said deals are good and lines aren’t bad this year. And, happily, she reported, “We don’t have that item that’s eluding us this year. Usually we do, but we started our shopping early this year.”

Jim Flores of Salida was having some gift purchases wrapped at the fundraising booth set up by Camp Taylor, which offers programs for young people and families of children with heart disease.

“I’ve gotten some really good deals, and a couple of free items here and there, which is nice,” he said, adding that he likes using gift-wrapping stations because it saves him time and he gets to help local charities.

“I’ve found everything I’ve wanted,” Flores said. “In our family, we have a tradition: something you want, something you need and something we want to give you.”

And he’s been happy not only with selection but with service at stores this year, he said.

“I’ve been finding the checkout lines are really quick. I’m helped within five minutes or so,” he said. Stores generally are staffed sufficiently at checkouts and on the floor, and “It’s good to see them respond to meet customer needs.”

This story was originally published December 20, 2015 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Short lines, good prices are gifts to Christmas shoppers in Modesto."