Shoppers search for bargain prices

 
Shoppers search for bargain prices
Post-Christmas sales attract consumers
By LAITH AGHA and LARRY PARSONS
Herald Staff Writers
12/27/2008

Macy's Discount Coupon

A boy stands inside the Old Navy store in Northridge Mall in Salinas... (ORVILLE MYERS/The Herald)
Laurie and Sandy Silveira were not particularly interested in heading up the Macy's escalator to look at clothing.

The stepmother and stepdaughter from Pacific Grove had a specific mission the day after Christmas.

"We're looking for kitchen things, bedding, stuff for the house," said Laurie, the daughter, in the store's bottom-floor kitchen section.

The two had just arrived at Del Monte Shopping Center in Monterey after a trip to Kohl's in Marina, where they spent four hours sifting through sale items.

Sandy Silveira pulled out a scrolling receipt that reflected their lengthy stay at the Marina big-box store.

The bottom of the tag showed they spent a little more than $300, about a third of what they would have paid at full retail prices, Sandy said.

Those were the kinds of deals that thousands of shoppers were seeking at Del Monte Center on Friday, trying to take advantage of inventory-clearing sales. Many of the mall's stores are offering items at 50 to 70 percent off regular prices.

Some people said they are taking advantage of the sales as they normally do the day after Christmas, while others are trying to stretch their dollars during a tough economic time.

John Galatea, who stopped at the mall with his wife before heading to Carmel for a weekend getaway, sat in a wooden lounge chair outside White House Black Market. His wife was in the store, celebrating her birthday with a solo shopping spree.

"She doesn't need me," Galatea said.
"I'm happy out here, enjoying the weather."

He said they "went pretty light" on Christmas presents for each other this year, instead focusing their gift-giving on their three children, a 7-year-old boy and 4-year-old twin girls.

A couple from Marina, Rian Obispo, 26, and Sabrina San Nicolas, 24, said they found some good deals at American Eagle Outfitters and Victoria's Secret. Then they drove to another store about a half-mile from the mall so that Obispo could pick out a late Christmas present — a box of baseball cards at Sharp Corners Cards and Collectibles.

"We're regulars," San Nicolas said, rolling her eyes.

Early Friday at Harden Ranch Plaza in North Salinas, assistant property manager Teresa Whitesmith took heart in seeing the parking lot in front of Target filling by 7:30 a.m.

"The traffic seems to be going nicely," she said. "That's a good thing to see, consumers out and shopping. ... It has been a difficult year."

At nearby Northridge Mall, the parking lot was "pretty close to full" by midafternoon, at least equaling the numbers for the day after Christmas in years past, said mall marketing manager Bryce Root.

"For a lot of people it's a traditional day to come out and shop," he said.

The mall's J.C. Penney store opened at 5:30 a.m. to lure early-bird bargain hunters, and it was among the stores reporting "a pickup in traffic," he said.

Penney store manager O.J. Perez said a surprisingly heavy turnout forced him to call in more employees to work about 10 a.m.

"It's just jam-packed," he said by late afternoon. "We've already exceeded last year's day-after sale."

Across the country, many retailers employed traditional day-after Christmas techniques to lure shoppers in — opening early, extending hours and trumpeting sales. But many shoppers were on the hunt for big bargains on specific items or hoping to return unwanted gifts — not looking to splurge.

Just as the post-Christmas period began — on a Friday, which retailers saw as another hopeful incentive — reports came in on a very lackluster sales before the holiday.

SpendingPulse, a division of MasterCard Advisors that tracks total sales, said overall sales were down 2 to 4 percent between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, with gasoline and auto sales excluded.

Some said 2008 would go down as one of the worst holiday sales seasons ever. Hardest-hit by the incredibly shrinking consumer wallet were luxury goods, once considered immune from economic troubles.

Sales of luxury items fell by 21.2 percent, after posting a 2.7 increase last year.

Tepid holiday sales came on the heels of several retailers liquidating or going into bankruptcy proceedings — including Circuit City Stores, Mervyn's LLC and Linens 'N Things Inc. They could be followed by more retailers reeling from weak holiday business.

Laith Agha can be reached at lagha@montereyherald.com or 646-4358.

Larry Parsons can be reached at 646-4379 or lparsons@montereyherald.com.