Shopping Season Rewards Patience

MOORESTOWN, N.J. December 26, 2001 — Those who plan ahead or had gift money to burn exercised some day-after-Christams patience on Wednesday. At several New Jersey shopping spots, one of the year's busiest days got off to a slower start than usual _ possibly because retailers offered deeper discounts than usual before Christmas to try to boost sagging sales. Only about a dozen shoppers were waiting outside the Target in Cherry Hill when it opened and most headed straight to the Christmas supply section, where everything was 50 percent off.

They were carefully picking through wrapping paper, but there was none of the elbow-swinging that electronics and toy consumers are sometimes prone to in the face of such deals.

Michelle Turner, 29, of Hurst, Texas, was in Cherry Hill visiting relatives. She had a whole cart full of wrapping paper at Target - and her husband said she might find some Christmas gifts for next year while she was out.

"She's usually done by September," Carey Turner said.

The scene was serene compared to that other notorious day-after-a-holiday shopping day a month earlier.

The same store had long lines the day after Thanksgiving _ and customers headed straight for marked-down electronics items.

Early Wednesday, the displays of televisions, DVD players and other gadgets looked lonely.

Keesha Wright, 30, of Camden, who was looking for a 25-inch television she could buy with money she received for the holiday, had the area to herself.

Wright said the TV she was looking for normally goes for about $260, so she was pleased to find one for $199.99.

"$199 is perfect," said Wright, an education director for a local Boys and Girls Club. "I'm probably going to take it home with me."

Jeannie Bauer, 48, of Maple Shade, was buying decorations in the morning, but she expected to get some clothing later in the day for her 20-year-old son as a late Christmas gift.

"I held off because I knew he could get more after Christmas," said Bauer, a customer service manager at a sink and faucet store.

The Kmart in Moorestown opened at 7 a.m. with just one shopper waiting to get in, though the store was fully staffed and had a roped off a maze-like queue at the returns counter.

"This is very slow for us," said assistant manager Karen Zenkowich.

Zenkowich said the store had a relatively busy pre-holiday season right up until the last minute. She was expecting more early morning bargain hunters and especially returns the day after Christmas.

There were also more returns before the holiday than usual, she said.

"I hope they got what they wanted," she said, "and they don't have to bring anything back."

Some shoppers, though, were looking for something other than bargains on Wednesday morning.

Rose Foglia, 40, of Cinnaminson was at Strawbridge's in the Moorestown Mall, largely to have some quiet time away from her 4-year-old triplets and 7-year-old.

"I'm just out," Foglia joked as she browsed through a rack of half-price bracelets. "Out to get away from my kids."

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News