EASTER MONEY HOLIDAY SPENDING LIFTS RETAILERS.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

The hopping sound of the Easter Bunny is being drowned out - by the ringing of cash registers.

As fathers are looking for the perfect basket and mothers seek out a succulent Sunday ham, stores are awash in customer traffic. And with a retail scene that's hardly been rosy in recent months, that influx will bring in a much-needed infusion of cash.

According to the National Retail Federation, shoppers will fork over $1.8 billion nationwide just for Easter candy - to say nothing of the decorations, the baskets, the dinners and everything else that comes along with the holiday.

``You know, you get that chocolate egg from your aunt that weighs, like seven pounds,'' said Max Celi, hard-lines executive team leader of a Northridge Target. ``Everyone buys an Easter basket, and then you've got to fill it up with something. I don't think any kid's going to want an empty basket.''

Those filled baskets make Easter the second-most popular candy holiday, after Halloween, of the year - outflanking even Christmas and St. Valentine's Day.

``People love those Peeps and chocolate bunnies,'' said Sarah Scheuer, manager of industry media relations for NRF. ``It's the traditions, both secular and sacred, that make it the important holiday that it is.''

By noon Friday, Celi had his hands full trying to straighten up the aisles of his well-shopped Target. Laying out stuffed bunnies and stacking boxes of egg dye, he and his team were dashing to keep up with crowds.

``We have pallets and pallets and pallets of candy, but none of it sells until the last week,'' Celi said. ``Everybody wants a deal.''

Martha Alvarez certainly did. The North Hills resident, a women's clothing entrepreneur, expressly came to Target to stock up for her family's annual Easter egg hunt in the park.

``They always have everything here,'' she said. ``I'm buying some bunnies for a basket for my grandson.''

Chances are Alvarez isn't alone in her egg-hunt plans. According to Scheuer, egg production skyrockets to 700 million per week in the Easter season, second only to Christmas and the accompanying baked goods.

``Easter has a big upward tick,'' she said ``In the three weeks leading up to Easter, there's a rise of 42 percent in egg production.''

Flower shops were also bracing for a late run, as home entertainers looking for a dinner table centerpiece pick their way through their display cases. Stargazers and Easter lilies should be the top seller today at Daisy's Flowers in Van Nuys.

``It's slow right now, but they say it's going to go up around Easter,'' said Dalia Baltazar, tending the counter at the florist's shop. ``People wait for the day before because they want to get them cheaper.''

And of course, with families sitting down in droves for a Sunday dinner, hams are aplenty. The glazed treats translate into big bucks for grocers. Unimaginable big bucks, even.

``Holidays are our biggest times of year,'' said Boni Peluso, co-creative director at Honeybaked Corporate. ``I can't even give you an estimate on how much our business increases around this time.''

That was the case in the chain's Woodland Hills store. It was doing a brisk business on Friday morning, with shoppers lining up out the door, awaiting their Sunday spreads.

John Rolston, a Reseda retiree, came armed with a note from his wife describing exactly what to get. His order was a hefty one, with the whole family showing up at his home for a Sunday celebration.

``I don't know what this is exactly,'' he said, pointing to the instructions on the sheet. ``I'm just buying it - my wife will know what to do with it all.''

CAPTION(S):

photo, chart

Photo:

(color) Bunnies and jelly beans in an Easter display beckon to holiday shoppers Friday at a Target store in Granada Hills.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

Chart: PROJECTED HOLIDAY CANDY SALES

SOURCE: National Confections Association