Northern Virginia malls and other shopping centers are sure to be crowded Thursday as people hurry to redeem gift cards, return wrong-sized gifts and take advantage of post Christmas sales.
A Target spokeswoman says Dec. 26 is the most popular day to redeem gift cards.
The site DealNews.com says the best things to buy right after Christmas include apparel and Christmas decorations. Some of the best sales today may be at Banana Republic, Club Monaco, GAP, Old Navy, and French Connection, which have extra discounts from 30 to 50 percent on top of prices already cut by 75 percent.
Retail analysts say holiday shopping was down about 30 percent, which makes it likely stores will encourage after-Christmas sales to boost the bottom line.
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