Tips for Last-Minute Shopping

Dec. 23, 2004 -- -- With less than 48 hours to go before the big day, holiday shopping is in high gear. According to the National Retail Federation, 20 percent of holiday sales will occur this week -- a large percentage in the next two days. MasterCard is predicting its single busiest hour of the year, in terms of transaction volume, to occur from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

With this as the backdrop, here are some important tips if you still have room under the tree: