During the holiday season, shoppers flood malls looking for great deals on the latest toys or designer fashion. But in South Florida, one surprising item is frequently on the top of the wish list: luggage.
More than 25 million people per year go bargain hunting at the Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise. More than half of those visitors are tourists, making the mall the second largest attraction in the state — behind only Walt Disney World. Often, those tourists come toting luggage, not just for their vacation, but for their shopping.
Eduardo Hinostroza, the manager of Traveltino, a luggage shop in the mall, says the store sees hundreds of shoppers a day during the holiday rush.
“Come for the vacation and also get a chance to purchase clothes, sports shoes, ladies bags, perfumes. They need somewhere to put it,” he said. “They purchase the luggage.”
The outlet mall has almost 2.4 million square feet of shopping space. Aside from Traveltino, numerous luggage kiosks dot the walkways between the shops. Even the Burlington Coat Factory’s display windows are reserved for rolling luggage.
Histornoza says most of the customers he sees come from Latin America. Those travelers take advantage of the outlet prices at Sawgrass Mills and at the Dolphin Mall in Miami Dade and take their newly filled luggage back home.
Never is that phenomenon more prevalent than December, the mall’s busiest month. But that doesn’t mean the busy season is over just yet, January is a close second.
READ MORE: Floridians are about to embark on a record holiday travel season
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