'Twas The Day After Christmas, And All Through The Mall..

By Lou Garassino
12:00AM / Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Jess Cellana, 14, of Uxbridge, Mass. and Nicole Richards, 14, of North Adams, were out on a downtown holiday spending spree.

Lanesboro- -Hordes of eager shoppers flocked to the Berkshire Mall during Dec. 26, apparently anxious to spend the money and gift cards they discovered amidst their holiday bounty.

As many know, money rules among the top gift request list of many teenagers and young adults. And with so many different tastes, likes, and dislikes, money seems to be a safe bet for an uncertain gift giver.

But how, exactly, does the Berkshire region's the younger generation spend their holiday cash?

After interviewing shoppers whose ages ranged from 13-20 years of age, the most common response pointed to electronics.

What Wii Want

Teresa LePicier and her daughter Samantha accept a post-Christmas package from an assistant manager at the North Adams Fashion Bug store.

Dan Kingsley, 20, of Cheshire said that he was spending his Christmas money on accessories for the Nintendo Wii gaming console.

The Nintendo Wii is a new video game system that requires the users to physically participate in the game by making movements and gestures with their hands and arms. Kingsley noted that he received about one hundred dollars, which he used towards an extra controller and a fishing game. He needed an extra controller because the Nintendo Wii system he had gotten for Christmas only came with one, he said.

Zach Atwood 13, of Pittsfield was at the Berkshire Mall using his gift cards on accessories for the PSP that he received for Christmas. PSP is a portable, handheld Playstation device that gives users the option of playing games, surfing the net or watching movies.

Zach bought a PSP "skin," some PSP to PC adapters, and PSP memory cards. The "skin" is a cover that protects the whole game system while still allowing users to play. The PSP to PC adapters allows the user the freedom of downloading various types of files onto the PSP itself, while memory cards give the user the power to save their game status place and maintain an acquired level of game progress during game downtime.

Video game items were big this year but they weren’t the only wish-list wishes.

A Little Something For His Friends

Amanda Bresett, 17, of Adams, shopped at the mall's Best Buy store. Amanda said that she was going to use her Christmas money toward an adapter for an Ipod she received for Christmas. The goal is to be able to charge her Ipod as she drives and listens to music, she explained.

Lukas King 14, of Pittsfield was also at the mall today spending his holiday loot. His spending was focused on others; Lukas said he was using gift money to buy presents for his friends.

Speaking from a bench situated near the Best Buy store, Lukas said that he'd already purchased some dragon statues at a recently-opened mall-based Candle and Gift store. Lukas said that he also purchased some "odds and ends" from a Dollar Store.

Chair Deluxe

Zac Almeida 17, of Pittsfield was in search of a gift for his brother. His brother had gotten a "really nice" video game chair for Christmas, but the chair required an adapter plug before it could be used. Zac described the chair as being equipped with speakers,and vibration capabilities, and can move moved in sync with game action.

The majority of those interviewed said they'd received some substantial gifts and were simply embellishing the presents with accessories. Some folks acknowledged that they were using the money as an opportunity to finish off belated Christmas shopping.

No matter what the motivation, there was no doubt about the popularity of post-Christmas shopping; the Berkshire Mall was filled with people engaged with shopping on the day after Christmas.