Despite stormy weather, shoppers search for post-holiday bargains
The weather outside wasn't frightful enough Saturday to keep scores of shoppers from flocking to suburban malls in pursuit of jolly post-Christmas deals.
Yorktown Center in Lombard and Woodfield Shopping Center in Schaumburg were among those that did brisk business on the day after Christmas - the beginning of what has become a key phase in the larger holiday shopping season.
"We look at the period immediately following Christmas as the third and final section of holiday shopping, following Black Friday and the pre-Christmas period," said Lindsey Burke, marketing director at Yorktown. "The day after Christmas itself is traditionally one our strongest days."
Burke said Saturday started off a bit slower than usual, something she attributes to the steadily falling snow and winds that made travel difficult. By noon, though, business was back on track, she said.
Stores inside malls all over the suburbs did their part to lure shoppers out of their homes by sharply reducing prices. Shoppers at Carson's, the Gap and Macy's could fine savings of 40 percent to 70 percent on everything from diamond jewelry to leather gloves to women's handbags.
"The bargains bring me out," said Karen Damico, who lugged two full shopping bags late Saturday morning to her car in the Yorktown lot. Damico, a resident of Des Moines, Iowa, was spending the holidays with family in Addison.
"I bought two nice sweaters for less than $50 total," Damico said. "I've found that there are better deals the day after Christmas than at any other time, even the day after Thanksgiving."
Hanover Park resident Deborah Schmitt, a student at the University of Illinois, visited Woodfield in the hopes of scoring big with her $100 Macy's gift card.
"I hope I can get lots of clothes for school," she said. "I'm sure prices will be pretty low."
Schmitt said she also planned to visit stores like Victoria's Secret and Levi's, both of which advertised savings of 30 to 50 percent.
When asked whether the snow-covered roads gave her second thoughts about driving to the mall, Schmitt rolled her eyes.
"No way," she said. "I grew up here. I'm used to driving in weather like this."
Abby Van Winkle, general manager of the Best Buy Mobile store inside Woodfield, said business was steady but not overwhelming during the early part of the day. Lots of people were redeeming gift cards for gadgets like iPods or e-reader devices, she said.
"We usually see about the same amount of traffic on the day after Christmas as we do during any particular day before the holiday," she said. "I think the weather probably kept some folks home today, but business has still been good."
Nationally, retailers received a much-needed last-minute sales surge in the final days before Dec. 25, fueled by shoppers who delayed buying, waited for bigger discounts that never came or were slowed by last weekend's big East Coast snowstorm.
But now they're counting on the days after Christmas to perk up overall holiday sales in a season that looks like it's modestly better than last year's disaster.
The full holiday picture won't be known until merchants report December sales Jan. 7. But most expect merchants' fourth-quarter profits should be intact because they didn't press the panic button.
ShopperTrak is sticking to its prediction for a 1.6 percent gain, compared with a 5.9 percent drop a year ago.
The National Retail Federation expects that total retail sales will slip 1 percent, though some experts say that might be a bit too cautious. A year ago, they fell 3.4 percent by the trade group's calculations.
Daily Herald news services contributed to this report.