SHOPPING SPREE? Consumers have been slow to...

SHOPPING SPREE? Consumers have been slow to spend this Christmas season, but some retail analysts hold out hope that fortunes will change as the holiday homestretch nears. “I don’t think we’re in the shopping mode any more,” Irvine retail consultant Tony Cherbak says. “We’re seeing the buying mode.” Consumers may use the Monday before Christmas to fashion a three-day spending weekend and make this a green Christmas after all, Costa Mesa analyst Pat Murphy says. A week ago, shoppers were only comparing prices, Murphy says, but now they seem to be parting with their money.

Christmas Spending

In a poll, O.C. residents were asked: “Compared to last year’s holiday season, what do you expect to spend on gifts this year?” Less Money: 36% Don’t Know: 6% More Money: 12% About the Same: 46%