Shoppers Looking For Big After-Christmas Bargains

MIAMI (CBS4) - Just because Christmas is over doesn't mean the holiday spending has come to an end.

Across South Florida the stores and malls were swamped by shoppers looking to return unwanted gifts and use gift cards to pick up items Santa may have missed. Retailers did their part with huge clearance sections and mark downs that will continue for at least a week.

Also, shoppers braved the malls on Wednesday on the look out for those post-Christmas deals.

"My mom said this was the day, this is the day to do it," one shopper said at Dadeland Mall in Kendall.  "Today we have to do it because everybody is doing it so let's do it."

Alexis Rangel spent her more looking for the best deals at the mall.

"Today is the after Christmas sales so everything was 65%," said Rangel. "I was on a mission for shoes. I Love shoes."

"I found some electronics which were 70% off, I found some clothes which were 50%, 60% off," said another shopper.  "The deals were better today than on Black Friday."

Holiday sales are expected to be up 4.1% over 2011, according to the National Retail Federation.

Retailers generally count on the days after Christmas to perk up their overall holiday sales. The upcoming days can account for more than 15 percent of total holiday spending.

The day after Christmas rivals Black Friday for bargain hunting. Retail experts predict nationwide shoppers will spend $ 7.1 billion on Wednesday.