DASHING THROUGH THE AISLES LAST-MINUTE TYPES SEEK BARGAINS.Byline: Candice Choi Staff Writer With just a week to Christmas Day, Bailey Mills is gearing up to battle the throngs of procrastinators who will swarm malls for the busiest shopping weekend of the year. ``I haven't even started yet,'' said Mills, who was at the Westfield Promenade Westfield Promenade is a large shopping mall owned by The Westfield Group and located on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in the Woodland Hills district of Los Angeles. It was previously known as The Promenade at Woodland Hills and Westfield Shoppingtown Promenade. on Friday. ``I get so busy I don't even start thinking about it until the last minute.'' She's not alone. A survey by AOL (A division of Time Warner, Inc., New York, NY, www.aol.com) The world's largest online information service with access to the Internet, e-mail, chat rooms and a variety of databases and services. found that Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. has the second-highest percentage of last-minute shoppers in the nation, with 44 percent of residents saying they wait until the latest possible date to get started. That puts intense pressure on retailers to rouse shoppers into action in an effort to boost year-end sales. J.C. Penney is slashing prices and Circuit City is offering deep discounts online and in stores. Sears, Roebuck and Co. is rallying shoppers today with free gift cards for the first 100 customers. ``We're looking to capture that excitement we saw on Black Friday Black Friday, Sept. 24, 1869, in U.S. history, day of financial panic. In 1869 a small group of American financial speculators, including Jay Gould and James Fisk, sought the support of federal officials of the Grant administration in a drive to corner the gold ,'' said Bill Masterson, spokesman for Sears. Trumpeted doorbusters and sales are often reserved for Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when retailer profits start going from red to black. Retailers raked in $22.8 billion in the weekend after Thanksgiving for a strong start to the holiday season. Now department stores This is a list of department stores. In the case of department store groups the location of the flagship store is given. This list does not include large specialist stores, which sometimes resemble department stores. and discounters are hoping to bring that sense of excitement to the last Saturday before Christmas. With just 46 percent of consumers reporting they have finished their shopping, turnout this weekend will be critical for year-end sales figures sales figures npl → cifras fpl de ventas . The National Retail Federation is predicting that holiday sales will reach $220 billion this year. Performance this weekend will help determine whether retailers reach that figure. ``We're a nation of procrastinators,'' said Scott Krugman, spokesman for the NRF NRF National Retail Federation NRF NATO Response Force NRF National Research Foundation (South Africa) NRF Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (urban renewal funding package in the UK) NRF Nouvelle Revue Française . A variety of factors will affect mall traffic and sales this year. The first is that Christmas falls on a Saturday, which could lessen the impact of this final weekend, instead spreading sales more evenly throughout the weekdays leading up to Christmas. There are also two more shopping days sandwiched between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. While analysts theorize the·o·rize v. the·o·rized, the·o·riz·ing, the·o·riz·es v.intr. To formulate theories or a theory; speculate. v.tr. To propose a theory about. that that should relieve some of the pressure, mall managers are still bracing for a storm of panicked last-minute shoppers. ``Christmas is Christmas,'' said Beth Silhasek, spokeswoman for Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga. ``We're still preparing for huge crowds.'' Of those still avoiding the dreaded mall, 52 percent say they plan to do the remainder of their shopping at discount stores, 46 percent at department stores, 35 percent at specialty stores and 33 percent online, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. an NRF study. As the big day nears and people become more frantic to secure a gift in time, Silhasek said, she expects sales of gift cards to soar. In November, she said, sales of Westfield gift cards were up 75 percent from the same time last year. The reasons for procrastinating are countless for men, according to a survey by Sears. Just 18 percent were waiting for last-minute sales, 39 percent say they were watching football, and 72 percent they just didn't know what to buy. Candice Choi, (818) 713-3634 candice.choi(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Tracey Rose of Winnetka - wearing a Santa's helper hat to amuse a·muse tr.v. a·mused, a·mus·ing, a·mus·es 1. To occupy in an agreeable, pleasing, or entertaining fashion. 2. her daughter - shops at Sears in Canoga Park on Friday. (2) Tonia Walkes of West Hills looks at marked-down ornaments for sale at Sears on Friday. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer Box: THE FINAL RUSH Source: Daily News research Daily News |
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