Staten Island shoppers came out in droves and packed the mall as many exchanged gifts and took advantage of sales. NY1's Thabie Sibanda filed the following report.

The day after Christmas was a busy one for the Staten Island Mall.

"[It was] craziness…a lot of people, a lot of lines," said shopper Leila Spangler.

Doors opened at 7:00am sharp for the early birds. December 26th is traditionally the biggest day for returns for retailers.

"A couple of returns today,” said shopper Jane Rogers. “Everything else was great. The holidays were terrific."

For some, shopping after Christmas beats shopping before the holiday.

"It was less congested than it was before the holidays. So yep, it should be quick in and out," said Rogers.

Shoppers exchanged gifts that didn't quite hit the mark and some simply took advantage of the holiday sales and markdowns.

"It's so exciting to see the frenzy of the holidays continue after the big gifting giving day," said Donna Stabile with Pandora Jewelers.

The National Retail Federation says nearly half of Americans plan on taking advantage of after-Christmas sales. For stores like Pandora, their sales attracted many shoppers.

"There was a lot of traffic in the mall. We're seeing great amounts of people coming through the door today," said Stabile. "We've been packed. We've had a line since 12 o'clock."

Many jewelers here on Staten Island did well this holiday season. Jerry Amerosi, the CEO and President of Gerald Peters, says that's thanks to the industry evolving. Like Pandora, Gerald Peters is now offering more brands and items than just the traditional bracelets and charms. 

"It was a later year than normal and people were spending more on the average ticket that before. So people got nicer gifts this year," said Amerosi.

And they say love is in the air. They noticed an uptick in engagements.

"It’s been a great time for us. Engagements are my favorite time, my favorite sale because you really get to connect with the customer on a personal level," said Gerald Amerosi, Jr.

And the good news for retailers was they had plenty of customers to connect with this season.