The word 'bare' in this meaning means empty and without the usual contents. Here are some more examples: 'The trees in my garden look really bare in winter' (empty, without the usual leaves) 'The room looks really bare, I need some furniture' (empty, without furniture, which you expect to see in a room) So in the sentence it means that the streets were nearly empty of people shopping. If something is done at the 'last-minute', it means it is done just before a deadline. e.g. 'I made some last-minute corrections to my essay before I handed it in' In this way, then, the term 'last-minute shoppers' can mean 2 things: - People shopping really late before the shops close - People shopping really late before a big festival such as Christmas Hope this is useful! Let me know if you have any questions

Many of the stores were open, but the sidewalks were bare of last-minute shoppers. Many of the stores were open, but the sidewalks barely had any of last-minute shoppers.