Day after Christmas, shoppers hit stores for after-holiday sales and NYE firecrackers

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Firecrackers went on sale to the public Thursday, and retailers like Don Quijote on Kaheka Street were packed with people getting ready to ring in the new year.

"I'm buying mostly all noise makers," said Palolo resident Kenneth Asato. "Plenty for the kids and some for the adults."

The Honolulu Fire Department says 17,804 firecracker permits were issued this year on Oahu -- that's slightly higher compared to last year.

It's a longtime tradition for local families and many take it very seriously.

"My family, in the past, we've always lit something off at midnight to scare all the bad demons and welcome the new year fresh," said Chris Kapoi from Kaneohe. "The years we didn't do it, we had bad years, so keep up the traditions. Just got to keep it going."

HFD says fireworks can only be ignited from 9 p.m. on New Years Eve to 1 a.m. New Years Day.

"We hope that people will respect the fireworks ordinance and understand the dangers associated with firecracker use," said HFD Fire Chief Manuel Neves. "While the number of fireworks-related injuries on Oahu is typically lower than elsewhere in the nation, even a single incident is one too many because it causes suffering, which is preventable."

Kapoi hopes others will follow the rules.

"W e were always taught to follow the laws and that will keep the tradition going. Otherwise, they're going to ban everything and we're not going to have anything later on if you folks keep going on with the illegal fireworks," Kapoi said.

Over at Ala Moana Center, shoppers were taking advantage of the after-holiday sales.

The National Retail Federation says 68-percent of people will likely shop the week after Christmas and use those gift cards they received.

“The sales are around up to 50 to 60 percent off I’ve seen,” said shopper Sarah Klast. “Black Friday is not the time to go shopping. After Christmas is definitely the time.”

Meanwhile, 55-percent of shoppers take back unwanted gifts within the first month of receiving them.

“We’re here to return because (my kids) didn’t want what I gave them,” said shopper Deborah Nekomoto. “We came because we wanted to make sure there was something good still to buy. Right after the holidays, everything’s gone so if we came right away maybe we could get something good.”

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