'Tis still season to shop

Christmas may be over, but area retail outlets were poised for a busy day today and perhaps throughout the week as shoppers take advantage of post-holiday discounts and a chance to spend the cash and gift cards they got Monday.

"It was a soft month, but thanks to a busy Friday through Christmas Eve, we are looking at a pretty decent December and overall a 3 percent increase in sales over 1999," said Frank Wheat, general manager of the Meadows mall.

"This was an average Christmas season and certainly did not meet the expectations we had six months ago."

While the Meadows mall and other area malls and outlets were closed Christmas Day, some major retailers such as Walgreen Drug Store, the nation's third largest chain with 3,259 stores, was open Monday and did good business.

"The stronger part of our Christmas season in Las Vegas was Christmas Eve and Christmas Day," said Carol Hively, spokeswoman for Walgreen stores in Deerfield, Ill.

"And we are expecting a strong week in Las Vegas because it is unique in that it is a vacation destination, so there are a lot of souvenirs purchased by visitors, and we also get a lot of local business."

Wheat said, for the time being, that the Meadows mall has no intention of following suit and staying open Christmas Days.

"We are closed only three days a year -- Easter and Thanksgiving are the other two -- how many days can you stay open?" he said. "In the future, that could change, but for now we plan to stay closed on Christmas."

While Wheat expected things to be busy today and Wednesday, with business dropping off to normal after mid-week, Hively said Walgreen expects to continue to do above average business through New Year's Day with people looking for bargains on items that were popular with pre-Christmas buyers.

"The more popular items bought for Christmas included 'as seen on TV' items like the Ab Slide, a paraffin wax system (for moistening skin), (motorized) bath spas and water (over rock) cascades," she said.

Wheat said: "Traffic was really good this morning when I came in around 8. You are always going to have returns (of gifts people did not like) because that is the nature of the business, but a good number of people I saw come in this morning did not have bags in their hands. I think they were looking to shop."

Hively said that Walgreen, which tops the nation with $22 billion in sales in the last 12 months, gets a lot of post-Christmas business from gift cards and Christmas cash gifts.

Meanwhile, nationwide, things were about the same as in Las Vegas, as an increasing number of Americans waited until after Christmas to do most of their holiday shopping.

Nearly 11 percent of holiday buying took place last year during the week after Christmas, exceeding the 8.5 percent during Thanksgiving weekend shopping period, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

The merchandise may be picked over and selection limited, but the bargains more than compensate. And given the heavy discounting that has already taken place this year, the post-Dec. 25 sales stand to be better than ever.

Retailers are hoping that the next seven days will help offset the slump that plagued business most of the month.

"This week is crucial for retailers to get rid of inventory," said Kurt Barnard, publisher of Barnard's Retail Trend Report, based in Upper Montclair, N.J.

He said it's more economical for stores to sell off the holiday merchandise at big discounts than it is for them to pay the costs of carrying the inventory. Stores also need to make room for their early spring lines, which begin arriving on selling floors as early as next week.

"Retailers are hoping that consumers will pick up a few new spring merchandise items as they steal some bargains in the store," said C. Britt Beemer, president of America's Research Group in Charleston, S.C.

Loehmann's, Macy's, and Sears, Roebuck & Co., started pushing after-Christmas sales last week, sending coupons in the mail to customers. Kmart and Wal-Mart planned to open Tuesday at 6 a.m. Sears will feature 50 percent discounts on items ranging from sweaters to bath robes.

The online deals promise to be good, too.

This season, many e-commerce sites held back on heavily discounting merchandise, but plan to step up discounts now to drive sales and attract more investors.

Kmart Corp.'s Bluelight.com is offering sales of up to 75 percent off starting Tuesday. Yahoo! Shopping will be unveiling after-Christmas discounts of up to 50 percent.

"A lot of consumers are looking for the same kind of bargains online as they see in the stores," said Dave Visnick, a Yahoo! spokesman.

While many shoppers use the week to shop, it is also one of the busiest times of the year to return gifts, both online and off. Brick and mortar retailers, such as Kmart and Barnes & Noble, operate Web sites and allow online purchases to be returned at their stores.

For online-only companies, returns can be trickier. Vendors are increasingly providing preprinted mailing labels in case buyers want to send items back. That way returns, like online purchases, can be executed directly from the home with relative ease.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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