Shoppers were out in droves on Monday in Cartersville returning Christmas gifts and taking advantage of post-Christmas sales.

Barry Mercier, operations manager at Target, said that approximately 40 people were standing outside when the store opened at 7 a.m.

“Then, they ran like Black Friday,” Mercier said. “They ran to get their 50 percent off wrapping paper and bows.”

While there was a crowd when the store first opened, there was a more steady crowd as the day went on, something Mercier said he expected to continue until closing.

“It’s always busy early,” he said. “Everyone wants first dibs on the 50 percent off clearance.”

Target was the last stop for Acworth resident Beth Fizsimmons, who took her 9-year-old daughter, Brooke, shopping to spend some of her Christmas money. Their cart was full of clothing and shoes.

“(The deals) are pretty good,” Fitzsimmons said. “We found a couple of things.”

According to Time, the day after Christmas is expected to be a big boon for retailers. According to the magazine, ShopperTrak is predicting foot traffic to be up 60 percent over last year, something that could be attributed to the fact that the day after Christmas fell on a Sunday in 2010, a day when many retailers’ hours are constrained by blue law limitations. And, according to the Associated Press, millions of Americans chose to delay some or all of their Christmas shopping this year.

At Kohls, all six registers and two additional cashiers were busy ringing up customers, who were directed to checkout counters by staff members. Tina Higdon ended her several hours of shopping and gift returns at Kohls, checking out the shoe department.

“I just wanted to get (my returns) done before everything gets picked over,” Higdon said.

And, the crowds weren’t bad, Higdon said, citing her longest wait being 15 minutes at the AT&T store.

“Everything else, I just zoomed right through,” she said.