DALLAS, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Holiday shopping procrastinators trekked to malls and downtown shopping areas across the United States, ho-ho-hoping for last-minute, perfect gifts.

Retailers were upbeat that the final holiday shopping weekend would yield sales meeting modest growth expectations, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Despite heavy mall traffic nationwide during the weekend, consumers still waited till the last minute for their shopping, contributing to some pessimism about how retailers would fare this season.

Last-minute deals were plentiful for the last-minute shopper.

At Dallas' NorthPark Center, Deborah and Michael Fields of Dallas said they saved hundreds of dollars by waiting to shop.

"The sales really are better at the end. I bought my mother a coat at Macy's and saved $150," Deborah Fields told the Journal. "We bought our daughter ... a Michael Kors handbag at Nordstrom and saved $700."

Retail activity watchers predicted an increase of 3.6 percent to 4 percent for the 2007 holiday season.