Shoppers Swarm After Bargains : Business: The ample size of the crowds outpaces spending on traditional first day of holiday retail season. Sales totals appear to be up slightly as bargain hunters, discounts hold sway.
Galvanized by price cuts, prizes and countless other promotions, consumers descended on the nation’s shopping malls in heavy numbers Friday, creating a genuine shopping rush on the traditional start of the holiday shopping season.
But while turnouts in much of the nation were among the largest ever, actual sales appeared to be up only slightly over last year--and much of that business was generated by bargain hunters.
Indeed, there was a buying frenzy at stores offering big discounts on pricey merchandise. Thousands jammed I. Magnin stores in Southern California, snapping up merchandise on the first day of a liquidation sale of a longtime retailer that will soon close its doors for good.
“The day after Thanksgiving isn’t my idea of a good time,” said Carole Neustadt, an Aliso Viejo resident who searched for deals at a Magnin in Newport Beach. “I’m only here because they’re closing and having a sale.”
At the Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, more than 100 people lined up in the morning chill waiting for department stores to open. Suky Pobojeski was there before 8.
“Sales,” the 42-year-old Newbury Park homemaker said. “They’re everywhere. I want to hit them all. In fact, I was telling my husband this morning I wish there was more of me to go to the different stores.”
There were similar reports from across the country. Traffic in downtown Chicago was heavy, parking lots were full and the shoppers wall-to-wall at Marshall Fields, but they described themselves as bargain-oriented.
Many shoppers said they planned to spend more money this holiday season, confirming recent poll reports of rising consumer confidence. But many of those planning to spend more also said they plan to spend later to take advantage of any additional discounting during possible season close-outs--a mixed outlook for an industry that is trying to put an end to that holdout habit.
Indeed, while spending levels may have been moderate in much of the country Friday, industry analysts expect sales to build closer to Christmas. Most analysts are predicting sales increases of 5% to 10% nationally and 5% to 7% in Southern California.
Among those symbolizing shopper attitudes were Pamela Cox and Susan Cox-Simmons, twin sisters who roamed for deals at the Westside Pavilion in Los Angeles.
“I’m inclined to wait for more bargains, but it depends on what I find today,” Cox said. “If I know the cost is the least for something on my list--I’ll buy.”
To be sure, shoppers in Southern California appeared to be responsive to promotions as well as discounts.
At the JCPenney Co. store at the Oaks, for instance, sales clerks were handing out 6,500 Christmas ornaments that contained coupons worth $5 to $250.
“It’s nice to give something out without asking for something in exchange,” said clerk Sharon Wascher.
The Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza sponsored a Santa Claus parade Friday, complete with marching bands. It seemed to work. After just four hours of business, the mall’s KayBee toy store was on pace to double the sales generated a year ago.
Anticipating big business, manager Karl Allen brought in nearly all of his employees and said he still could have used more to accommodate the lines of parents stretching across the store’s aisles in search of Power Rangers.
Department stores at the Oaks have so far been unable to find enough workers to fill their holiday slots. Marketing director Diana Brandes said the stronger economy has brought more shoppers but fewer people needing temporary, hourly jobs.
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By early afternoon, prize giveaways boosted the turnout at the Sherman Oaks Galleria for the kickoff of promotions that will continue through Christmas Eve. Shoppers who obtained a free membership in the Galleria’s Top Shopper Club were eligible for random drawings for $100 and $250 gift certificates and for free trips to Hawaii, Lake Tahoe and Desert Hot Springs.
Like many other malls, the Century City shopping center offered free gift wrapping and free engraving. But it also offered free gifts with minimum purchases and even free use of a massage chair for weary shoppers. But the most common shopper incentives were discount sales events. For example, Bullock’s and Robinsons-May marked some merchandise down 50%, and the Broadway offered savings of 33% to 40%. The Los Angeles-based Broadway chain was satisfied, if not exactly euphoric, with the consumer response to its discounts, said Bill Ihle, a company spokesman.
“Thus far, turnout has been good and we’ve been pleased,” Ihle said. “Sales have been within expectations.”
The expectations of Southland retailers are generally upbeat, recent polls have shown. But sales increased only slightly compared to the same Friday a year ago because serious bargain hunters did much of the buying while others merely window-shopped, said Richard Giss, a Los Angeles-based partner with the retail services group of the giant accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche.
“Clearly, consumers are being drawn by door-busting sales and promotions,” Giss said. “The idea is to get the shoppers in early because it helps build more customer traffic.”
Deloitte & Touche surveyed about 175 shoppers at a dozen Southland malls to identify buying trends. Giss said surveyors found that department stores offering more expensive clothing had difficulty drawing buyers. But after years of weak clothing sales in Southern California, survey respondents Friday expressed a strong interest in apparel--a sign that shoppers want garments at low prices.
Friday’s on-the-scene survey underscored findings of a Deloitte & Touche poll earlier this month, a survey that indicated that consumers are more optimistic about the Southern California economy.
Alicia Lopez, an Anaheim resident, may personify that combination of thriftiness and optimism. Lopez, 59, is unemployed but expects to find work early next year. For that reason, she shopped for her 12 grandchildren at a Mervyn’s store in Anaheim Plaza.
“This year, I don’t have much of the green stuff, but they are all going to get some clothes because that is what they need,” she said.
Some were willing to spend more heavily if the price was right. Darlene Mims of Los Angeles shopped for a dollhouse for her daughter and found the best price at Toys R Us in Culver City. She ended up buying three--sets representing Latinos, Anglos and African Americans.
The slump in apparel sales is expected to end nationwide this holiday season largely because of pent-up demand. Retailers said women’s mohair sweaters and velvet blouses and skirts were popular Friday. Sweater shirts and flannel shirts for men sold well. Children’s favorites included the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Lion King merchandise and electronic learning aids such as GeoSafari.
“Buying seems to be concentrated on moderate items--products under $50,” said Kurt Barnard, a New Jersey-based retail economist and head of Barnard’s Retail Consulting Group. “Nationwide, the malls are packed, but shoppers are mainly seeking low prices and good buys.” At the upscale three-level Bellevue Square in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, despite the pricey feel of many of the mall’s stores, most shoppers had functional items in mind.
Mike and Maria Bryant of nearby Redmond said they plan to spend perhaps $400 for everybody in the family. “I guess if we include ourselves, maybe $500 or $600,” Mike said. “That’s more than we spent last year.”
Holiday retail sales are expected to be especially strong in the East, and the season appears to be off to a rousing start in some regions.
In Miami, crowds were widespread at the Aventura Mall, one of the area’s largest shopping centers.
“So far today, it’s busier than expected,” said Jennifer Toro, a sales assistant at the mall’s Macy’s store. “People were waiting outside at 7:30 a.m. when I came in to work. Sales this year are much better than last year.”
The turnout was also impressive at the flagship Macy’s store on 34th Street in Manhattan. “I can tell you that it’s been packed all day since the store opened at eight,” said Macy spokeswoman Patti Schrickram. “There were people waiting at the doors, throngs of shoppers.”
The purchasing trend in New York, however, was similar to that elsewhere. Although the crowds were large, many weren’t buying. The lines to see Macy’s famed Santa, Santaland and the Puppet Theatre were sometimes longer than many of the cash register lines combined.
Retailers around the country don’t know yet just how good sales were Friday, but this year’s day-after-Thanksgiving extravaganza clearly upheld its tradition as a major shopping day.
Contributing to this story were Times staff writers Greg Johnson, Hope Hamashige and Nancy Hsu in Orange County, Greg Miller in the San Fernando Valley, Ray Delgado in Los Angeles, Anna M. Virtue in Miami, Audrey Britton in New York, Doug Conner in Seattle, John Beckham in Chicago, and Times wire services.
Correspondent Maia Davis reported from Ventura County.
Shopping Advice: For a collection of shopping tips, read Geri Cook’s columns on TimesLink. Use jump word: Geri Cook.
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