POST-HOLIDAY SALES BOOST RETAILERS' SPIRITS.Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer The post-Christmas retail season got off strongly Friday with bargain hunters Bargain Hunters was a game show on ABC in the summer of 1987, hosted by Peter Tomarken. Games Each episode featured six contestants, with two playing one of the following games — Bargain Quiz, Bargain Trap and Bargain Busters — at a time. on the prowl. Along with the usual lines forming at returned-goods counters and the many shoppers armed with gift cards, consumers' activity should help retailers boost their bottom lines. At 7 a.m., a line of 50 customers waited outside the Target store in West Hills. By afternoon, a steady flow of shoppers continued to walk the aisles - scoping out deals and exchanging gifts. ``Oh yeah, we've seen a good flow of customers here. Everyone's bringing in their gift cards and spending it on electronics,'' said Eddie Kemp, the store's manager. ``We're open until 10 and I don't expect to stop until 10.'' Retailers are depending on the week after Christmas to meet their sales goals, as the slumping job market and a dearth of bargains kept many shoppers away from stores this year. Gift cards have been among the season's hottest items, and retailers expect that consumers will redeem them by the end of the month. Levy Moshe didn't waste any time. A fresh pair of sneakers sneakers Noun, pl US, Canad, Austral & NZ canvas shoes with rubber soles sneakers npl (US) → zapatos mpl de lona; zapatillas fpl on his feet, Moshe spent all $100 of his gift card Friday morning at DSW DSW - penis war Shoe Warehouse. ``OK, personally, I don't like the gift card idea because it's not very thoughtful. I mean, four people came together, and all they could think of was a gift card,'' said Levy, 21. ``At least I was able to buy some casual shoes and some running shoes, though.'' It is difficult to track gift card sales because they are not recorded until the recipient makes a purchase. But Scott Krugman, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation, said he expects retailers to see an even stronger return this holiday season because store owners have yet to see their gift card sales. ``That's what makes this holiday season unique,'' he said. ``And there is a reasonable expectation out there that things will be better this year than last year.'' Mitzi Grasso, a 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. police union official, and her sister-in-law, Dawn, can certainly attest to that. The two hit Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga mall Friday morning. With gifts still to exchange and sale items to purchase, Dawn Grasso decided to take little break before a second round of shopping. ``We've been out bargain-hunting. And so far, everything's going very well,'' said Dawn Grasso, several shopping bags circled around her. ``You know, we don't have the same stores in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of .'' ``And we did both Hanukkah and Christmas this year,'' Mitzi Grasso added as she roused her sister-in-law to continue their retail endeavor. This holiday season, high-end stores such as Nordstrom and Brookstone enjoyed stronger sales while discount stores fared worse. Wal-Mart stores reported that same-store sales Same-store sales is a business term which refers to the revenue generated by one of a retail chain's specific outlets during a certain period of time (often a fiscal quarter or a particular shopping season), compared to an identical period in the past, usually in the previous year. growth through Wednesday was tracking at the low end of its projected range of 3 percent to 5 percent. ``If you go to these high-end stores, their popularity is evident right now,'' said 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 spokesman Krugman. On Friday the menswear department at Nordstrom in Canoga Park was teeming teem 1 v. teemed, teem·ing, teems v.intr. 1. To be full of things; abound or swarm: A drop of water teems with microorganisms. 2. with customers. The department store's Half Yearly Sale For Men begins the day after Christmas. Nordstrom's menswear division saw sales increase $16 million in July while inventory levels dropped by $18 million compared with the same period last year. That translated to a same-store sales increase of 12 percent in menswear last month. Rob Morgan and his wife visited Nordstrom on Friday afternoon. After spending $80 on clothing, he was ready to flee the crowded department store. ``It's busy in there. But we did some good shopping and (were) able to cut the price down pretty well,'' said Morgan, 46. Other 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 malls throughout the region reported a steady flow of customers. Janet LaFevre, senior marketing director at the Glendale Galleria The Glendale Galleria is a large 3 story regional shopping mall located in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California. It is the second largest mall in Los Angeles County. It is located in Downtown Glendale. , said the mall was packed. Meanwhile, at The Oaks shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into in Thousand Oaks, the parking lot was full by midmorning mid·morn·ing n. The middle of the morning. . Although many shoppers were trying to avoid the big crowds, Paula Wright of Santa Clarita said she wasn't discouraged by the long lines. ``It could be a lot worse,'' she said as she stood in line at Hickory Farms in Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga mall. ``I haven't seen any blood or hair ripped out, so I'd say it's pretty calm.'' Evan Pondel, (818) 713-3662 evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) From left, Joey Gonzales, 14, of Antioch and Javier Gonzales, 14, of Northridge rest while shopping in Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga mall. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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