A MIXED BAG FOR SHOPPERS VALLEY SPENDING HABITS VARY.

Byline: Sue Doyle Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - With fewer than 20 days until Christmas, some local holiday shoppers on Wednesday said they were closing in on their lists while others had to handle this season's gift buying with more caution than in the past.

And then there were some such as 77-year-old Delores Smith of Santa Clarita, who said presents probably won't fit into her tight budget this year, something she hopes that others will understand.

``I don't even know if I will have any money to do shopping,'' Smith said. ``By the time I get my bills paid, I don't have too much left.''

This mixed bag of shoppers is a reflection of today's multispeed economy, where some sectors are doing well and others aren't, said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit business association.

But at the same time, many consumers are confused about the state of the economy and that can be reflected in their shopping habits as well, Kyser said.

Many don't know what to make of the economy, where some reports say job growth is steady, but at the same time some major corporations are laying people off. In addition, fuel prices have dropped considerably from the summer, but forecasts are warning consumers about high natural gas prices to come this winter, he said.

This news can make people cautious depending on their situation, said Kyser, who added that nothing indicates that sales are down this year.

He suspects that some are holding on to their money to see if more bargains will come along.

``Wait and see,'' Kyser said. ``Christmas sales seasons always seem to be somewhat of a cliffhanger. People procrastinate.''

One of those procrastinators is Andre Boshant. In years past, the 17-year-old would have already made some purchases by now. But this year, work has kept him busy and out of the malls. Still, he said, if he had more money, he'd already be shopping.

``This year I will be all last-minute,'' he said.

Stevenson Ranch's Kevin Kato typically falls into the same postponement pattern, but this year he's about three-fourths of the way through with shopping already.

He found more free time to shop this year after he was laid off.

But during his down time, he found some bargains while browsing online. In fact, much of his shopping was done on the Internet, where he found toys for his son that were sold out at local stores, the 34-year-old said.

Online shopping is giving retail shopping centers a run for their money this season. E-commerce sales reports say that shopping is at an all-time high, said Mark Schniepp, director of the Santa Barbara-based California Economic Forecast.

Schniepp said that Internet sales at some point in time will replace or displace activity at malls.

Still Schniepp predicted record-level sales at stores this year and said that the economy, especially in Santa Clarita, is especially vibrant because of the area's affluent base.

He forecast that even jobless Kato will soon prosper.

``I don't see any softness in the labor market,'' he said. ``People who want a job will find one because unemployment is so low.''

Sue Doyle, [phone]

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com