It is the final countdown to Christmas and Hanukkah and if you haven't gotten your gifts yet, you could end up with the best bargains of the season.

About 12 percent of shoppers hit the stores Friday to buy gifts, according to the National Retail Federation.

The upside to last-minute shopping is deep discounts at stores. Some stores at Roosevelt Field Mall offered discounts up to 70 percent.

"I would say I saved hundreds of dollars. Everything was on sale. I'm a sucker for hitting the clearance rack, which is not a bad thing for the holidays when you have to shop for a lot of people," says Felicia Simpson, of Uniondale.

The mall says anything that draws in shoppers is good for business. Simon Property Group marketing director Nancy Gilbert says it helps them compete with online shops, or "e-tailers."

"Last-minute shoppers are always good because they cannot get their product online in time to bring home tonight or tomorrow," says Gilbert.