RETAILING : Store Attempts to Score With Crowd That Hates Monday Night Football

If you can’t tell a football from fondue, Monday night shopping at the Costa Mesa Bullock’s may be just the thing for you.

Thanks to the South Coast Plaza store, football haters can spend the season occupied with some people’s favorite indoor sport--shopping.

The flagship store came up with the idea after staffers noticed that Monday-night business perked up during football season. “We thought, ‘What’s going on with our business?’ ” explained store manager Sue Graham.

Then, Graham said, the store figured it out: “Aha! as husbands are sitting in front of the tube, it’s Monday night shopping.”

So Bullock’s capitalized on the idea and has called its program exactly that. Starting this week, the store began sponsoring a Monday Night Shopping series of special events--intended for anybody who just can’t stand to watch another down. Starting at 6 p.m., the store’s restaurant offers complimentary wine and a salad bar. The first week also featured such time-killers as cooking classes, wreath making, jewelry cleaning and make-overs.

“We did pretty well,” said Jack Meinen, assistant general manager. “A lot of people asked about it, and there was traffic in the store.”

For an encore next week, on Nov. 21, the Costa Mesa Bullock’s will sponsor such Thanksgiving-oriented events as napkin folding, holiday place-setting, knife sharpening and the latest in silver polishing, Graham said. There will also be a special session on “How to Cook Your Goose.”

Bullock’s now plans to run the Monday night promotion through Nov. 28. With Monday night football ending Dec. 19, that still leaves 3 weeks to practice your wreath making, napkin folding and silver polishing.