For many area shoppers, beating the Christmas blues means finding the red tags and returning gifts that may not have fit the bill.

Odessan Peggy Caddell said it was nice to take advantage of the sales after Christmas.

"The prices were good before Christmas, too," she said. Given the current economic status, she observed that "we're just now feeling the effects (in our area), and it's going to get worse before it can get better. But, we're lucky to be here (in Odessa)."

Rod Spencer, the general manager at Sears in the mall, said the good sales opportunities in the area are a result of the national economic situation.

"We've had great deals. As a company, Sears tries to accommodate different parts of the nation whose economies aren't doing well, so the blanket sales create super deals for us as well," he said.

And people have tried to benefit from such an opportunity.

"There was a crowd of people waiting for us to open and everybody wants to save a buck," Spencer said. "People want to bargain hunt: everybody's scared of the economy, so they want to take advantage of these lower prices."

As far as returns go, Spencer said they have so far been minimal.

"I'm surprised at the lack of them, and it's not too busy. I thought the day after Christmas was going to be as bad as the day after Thanksgiving," he said. "The returns have been typical - something's in the wrong size or color."

The clearances at Target have also stoked the interests of bargain shoppers who are already planning for next year's decorations.

"A lot of people want to get a good deal - it's half off for a $200 dollar tree, so people want to take advantage of that, not because they didn't buy for this year, but are thinking about next year," said Luis Leija, Target's "executive over guest experience." "But it's been normal as far as how busy it usually gets."

In order to prepare for the post-Christmas rush, Leija said the store increased staffing in the checkout aisles and in the front of the store.

"The clearances after Christmas bring people to the store, but we aren't anticipating too many returns today, probably because people want to sleep in and relax after the holiday," he said. "The kinds of returns we usually get are ‘oops' gifts, or someone got ‘x' instead of ‘y' for another."

Music City Mall also did its part to cope with the rushes after the holidays.

"Normally, at this time of year, we increase patrol and security. But we've actually had less security problems than in the past," assistant mall manager Jerry Penick said Friday. "We usually prepare for shoplifters and parking lot matters. Today, our parking lot is absolutely packed."