The clock is ticking on late gift shoppers who are now starting to fill up malls across the state.

News 12’s Jim Murdoch stopped at Menlo Park Mall to check out the crowds doing their last-minute holiday shopping.

Shoppers say that stores are busier than usual, but the mall isn’t nearly as filled as it was back on Black Friday.

Management tells News 12 New Jersey that the real crowds showed up on Saturday and Sunday, so Christmas Eve is not expected to be as hectic.

They say the shopping craze should return on Dec. 26 when shoppers are back at the mall to make holiday returns and put their gift cards to use.