Local holiday shoppers undeterred by rain [San Jose Mercury News, Calif.]
Dec. 21--Weekend rains didn't seem to deter holiday shoppers, according to a cross section of South Bay retailers who reported a steady stream of sales on the last Saturday and Sunday before Christmas.
"I was a little bit worried about the rain," admitted Eric Hager, manager at Palo Alto Sport Shop & Toy World. "It was bad weather, but after a little bit of rain, most people get used to it and go out and shop anyway. Definitely having only five days left before Christmas trumps the rain."
Surveys released this week suggest that holiday sales nationwide are slightly improved over last year, although specific figures for the weekend were not yet available. But unscientific spot checks at local malls and shopping districts found that many retailers were pleased with Saturday and Sunday's results."It was absolutely insane and lots of fun," said Stuart Kuramoto, manager of the Disney Store at San Jose's Oakridge mall. "I know when I went out to my car there were people lined up waiting to get a space."
Kuramoto was one of several local retailers who said their stores were busier than a year ago. "I think people are more optimistic about things," he said.
A survey released by MasterCard found that nationwide sales of clothing, jewelry and consumer electronics products were higher during the first half of December than in the same period a year earlier, with online sales up 13.5 percent from last year. Sales of electronics were lagging
behind other categories, showing an increase of less than 1 percent, compared with nearly 9 percent for men's and women's apparel.
More people are using smartphones and other mobile devices to shop online, according to PayPal, which reported a 279 percent increase in mobile transactions over the weekend, compared with a year ago.
Local merchants still said they saw many customers in person. "People braved the elements and came in. We had a nice flow of customers on both days," said Janice Benjamin, owner of the Indian Store, which sells Native American jewelry and art in Los Gatos.
Managers at local malls reported that parking lots and food courts were crowded over the weekend.
"It was packed. Parking was a disaster, but once people got inside, things were great," said a sales associate named Sue, who did not want to give her last name, at the Hallmark store inside San Jose's Eastridge mall.
Despite intermittent showers on both days, shoppers also patronized traditional downtown retail districts that don't have the covered parking offered by shopping malls.
"Each weekend as we get closer to the holidays has been busier and busier," said Robyn Levine, owner of Details Clothing, a boutique on Lincoln Avenue in San Jose's Willow Glen neighborhood.Even so, she said, "I'm not going to say it's the same as five years ago. It's a new normal, because of the economy."
Hager, the Palo Alto toy store manager, added that this week's sales will be crucial.
"The story of Christmas 2010 hasn't quite been written yet," he said. "The last four days of shopping are important. But it looks like we'll have a decent season."
