What a difference a week - and the end of a national lockdown - makes.
The first weekend of shops reopening in the North East drew thousands of shoppers to the MetroCentre in Gateshead.
As photos show, space was at a premium in the MetroCentre's car parks on Saturday December 5, as people descended on the reopened Mall with three weeks to go until Christmas.
Under Tier 3 rules, non-essential retailers have been allowed to welcome back customers since December 2.
But the MetroCentre's leisure attractions, like its cinema, must stay closed until at least December 16. Its restaurants are only allowed to serve takeaways until the North East is moved to Tier 2 or Tier 1.
Saturday's Christmas shopper car park is a contrast to a little over a week ago on Friday November 27, when the car park lay empty as most of the MetroCentre's stores were closed on Black Friday.
Primark, Next, TK Maxx, M&S, House of Fraser, JD Sports, Zara, Footasylum and New Look are among the shops which are now trading again, as is IKEA, in the nearby Metro Retail Park.
The Metrocentre will be open until 9pm on weekdays in December, until 8pm on Saturdays and 5pm on Sundays.
