If you were shopping in Bowling Green on Saturday, you may have noticed the traffic was reminiscent of Black Friday.

A new wave of sales hit most area stores Saturday morning and shoppers were out in full force, if for no other reason than to make a return.

Many people may not want to brave the crowds on the day after Christmas to make returns, but some still find the courage.

"A lot of times they got the same gift from someone else, or maybe they're exchanging a size in clothing," said Jim Sauerheber, Store Team Leader at Target. "Maybe it was a little too big or a little too small."

There weren't any long lines for returns at this store, and store managers say it's because most shoppers were there for a different reason.

"Usually the day after Christmas is a pretty big shopping day for us because a lot of the stuff in the store is fifty percent off, so most people are actually out looking for a deal today," said Sauerheber.

"Just trying to get some good Christmas ornaments and hopefully find another tree," said Katharine Bickerton, a shopper from Tennessee. "Just take advantage of all the sales."

Buying for the next year, when you can save money with good deals, is a tradition many families have started.

"You know a lot of people are actually buying for next year," said Sauerheber. "I've seen a lot of guests that had a lot of toys in their cart today because toys have went on clearance too, the winter toys, so again, a lot of people are just out looking for a deal today."

"It's kind of fun," said Bickerton. "Just a family day."

And some say they don't mind the crowds.

"Seems like it's a lot of traffic, but the stores don't seem to be too awfully bad, what we've done so far," said Bickerton.

So in most stores post-Christmas, sign after sign will tell you prices have dropped.

"Tree décor items," said Sauerheber. "The Christmas candy. Items that you would actually put in your house to decorate your home with."

But returned items and Christmas sales aren't the only things on store employees minds the day after Christmas.

"It's a fun day," said Sauerheber. "There's a lot of work because we're selling a lot of stuff that we don't replace and we've got to put new merchandise out. We're not filling anymore Christmas, we're actually putting all new merchandise out, so it's pretty challenging."

The scorecard for this year's holiday sales won't be out until the first week in January.

Experts predict a flat to modest gain, which may not sound like much, but it is a lot better than last year's drop of nearly six-percent.