It’s down to the wire as last minute shoppers are keeping many malls and stores busy before Christmas Day, and although many may choose to go with the pick-up or order online route, others feel the opposite.

Michigan State University retail professor Dr. Patricia Huddleston says for some holiday shoppers, it’s all about the experience.

“A lot of shoppers actually like the experiential value of a shopping trip, and so they like to be around other people, maybe talk with salespeople, other customers,” Huddleston said. “You can’t get that buying online.”

Huddleston also adds price doesn’t always play a factor for those local independent stores, adding 25% to 28% of a retailer’s total sales come from holiday shopping. But for product categories like toys, it’s much higher — almost double the amount for holiday sales.