What follows is anecdotal evidence.
I live in Houston, Texas where a big chopping center is called the Galleria. It's a giant mall with a ton of stores.. Here's a link for more information. It's pretty much centrally located in the Houston area, so it's pretty central to the area.
My dad was in town for the holidays and he stayed at a hotel in the area. My first thought was, "great. tons of traffic." But that wasn't the case. I went into town on Sunday morning and Sunday night. Getting through the area was no problem. In fact, it was less busy than rush hour.
On Monday -- Christmas Eve -- same thing. Traffic was incredibly manageable.
In previous years shopping seasons, this area of town has been a literal madhouse -- almost impossible to get through.
Again -- this is anecdotal information. For all I know, what appears to be fewer shoppers could have been buying up a storm. But the lack of traffic was pretty revealing.
