Hot and busy, that was how the Apia township was parents and children crowded shops doing their last-minute shopping for White Sunday with the traffic bumper to bumper. 

Maria Taofi from Aleipata said she had to catch the 5 am bus to be ahead of others. However, it still caught up with her.

"I have four kids, and they are all at home while I come and do their shopping. This is probably one of the biggest events for us in a year. I came early hoping that I could just come and get their clothes and ribbons for White Sunday and leave," she said. 

"But that is not the case now. It's crowded and the queues to the cashier are getting longer." 

According to Maria, this is the first time she has done her shopping on Saturday instead of Friday. She mentioned that her son who was abroad had just sent through the money the previous night.

Toese Tulafasa shared the same sentiments as Maria. He is concerned about mothers bringing babies and young children to town on such a busy day.

"I feel sorry for the poor babies, the heat is not something to play with. I would suggest they leave their young ones at home and they come and do the shopping for them," he said. 

"They might get sick because of this sun. I have two young girls, and I am looking for dresses. Having girls is very expensive. The boys' items are cheaper. But God gave me girls for a reason."

Toese said he had been to a few stores already to look for puletasi or dresses for his girls but most of them didn't have their sizes. But he is grateful that he found something for his girls. 

He also warned parents to hold on to their children because they can get lost in the crowd. He also mentioned that it's days like these, when thefts happen. He urged people to stay alert and make sure they have all their belongings before leaving a store.