AREA SHOPPERS SEEK POST-YULE BARGAINS.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

Even die-hard bargain hunters couldn't invigorate a flagging holiday shopping season Thursday, leaving traffic sparse at local malls for the after-Christmas sales and retailers nationwide recording the worst sales numbers in years.

Tight-fisted consumers, worried about war and mindful of a troubled economy, watched their spending carefully during stores' crucial fourth quarter. Industry watchers had hoped after-Christmas sales would spur a late rally, but shoppers weren't out in force Thursday.

``Nobody's coming to my store,'' groused Gurpreeg Singh, owner of the Pearl Imports kiosk at Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga. ``It was OK for me before Christmas, but now it's slow. People aren't buying as much for themselves because of the economy.''

Most malls found their anchor stores filled with shoppers looking for the traditional bargains and redeeming gift cards, but traffic was sparse for their specialty shops.

Discounts of up to 50 percent drew in the seasonal shoppers, who were rolling before the crack of dawn to scoop up as many deals as possible.

Leticia Sosa hit the gym at 4:30 a.m., conditioning herself for her traditional foray to the mall. With her sisters in tow, the Ventura data manager hit The Oaks shopping center in Thousand Oaks in search of deals on jeans and boots, employing a highly selective strategy.

``Anything that says 60 percent off,'' she said. ``Fifty percent is the norm, but everyone does that before Christmas. We're looking for just a little bit more.''

Though shoppers like Sosa keep merchandise moving, an important consideration with spring shipments coming soon, their relentless pursuit of bargains chops into stores' bottom line, with discounts above 45 percent erasing profits.

Pamela Ratcliffe, a Realtor shopping with her daughter, Jennifer Swenson of Moorpark, knows this very well.

``I'll probably spend about a grand today,'' she said, loading her second hand-truck full of crystal from The Oaks' Macy's into her Volvo station wagon. ``But that's $5,000 worth of stuff. I got this $50 cake platter for $9.''

She's honed her keen sense for bargains through years of shopping with Swenson, but even novice consumers picked up bargains.

``It's better to shop after Christmas,'' said Annalise Murphy, an 11-year-old with a full bag of accessories at Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga.

``You have all your gift cards and money so you're ready for the discounts. At Claire's, half the store's 50 percent off.''

Unfortunately for most malls, shoppers like her were not out in force. And though the mood for most was muted, not all found themselves so slow. The Antelope Valley Mall reported brisk shopping, with a quarter-mile-long line stretching from its parking lot.

``We had a slow morning, but this afternoon has been packed,'' said Diana Reeves, marketing director for the mall. ``We've really broken the trends this year in terms of sales. We don't know why; we're just happy to have it like this.''

The traditional crush of shoppers was also visible in force at the Van Nuys Target, which tripled its customer service team to deal with returns and exchanges.

Store team leader Allison Peck found her crew pleasantly busy when the store opened at 7 a.m., swelled with shoppers hunting down holiday merchandise marked down 50 percent.

``We had quite a large crowd this morning, maybe 100 people,'' Peck said. ``It was a good onslaught when we opened the door. That's when we get the bargain hunters. Then midday, we start getting the return customers.''

Some shoppers were indeed lured in by large discounts.

Vanessa Victorio, a Toluca Lake teacher, spent enough of the season in the mall to make her swear off shopping. But a jacket marked down from $110 to $50 at Robinson's-May changed her mind.

``I finished my Christmas shopping way before December, so I wanted to see what was out now,'' she said, pausing in her trek through the Topanga mall. ``I'm through looking for everyone else. Now I'm shopping for myself.''

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(color) Vanessa Victorio of Toluca Lake hit the stores Thursday, shopping for herself now that holiday gift-giving is over.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer