THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 25, 1994 TAG: 9411250053
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Long : 112 lines
By Halloween, several stores at Chesapeake Square Mall already had been decked with boughs of holly. This month, Santa Claus and his picture-snapping staff arrived, a bit early.
``If he comes any earlier, he'll have a bathing suit on,'' joked Pam Cross, the mall's marketing director. ``He'll be tanning under the lights.''
Customers might have trouble getting into the holiday spirit when it's sunny and warm, but merchants say it never hurts to get an early start by reminding people about the goods.
Today, traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year, retailers hope to kick off another successful holiday season. And consumer surveys show they'll probably have one. A MasterCard poll found that customers plan to increase holiday spending by an average $63 each to $486.
Hot gifts this year will be low-priced consumer electronic gadgets like portable CD players, computer software games and items below $100, said Kenneth M. Gassman Jr., a retail analyst with the Richmond brokerage firm Davenport & Co.
``The $100 price point appears to be some kind of psychological threshold,'' Gassman wrote in his annual holiday shopping outlook. ``Below that level, consumers spend with abandon.''
Another big seller this year could be jewelry, analysts say.
``So far, sales have begun to pick up, but this week is supposed to be hot,'' said Stephanie Kinter, office manager of Reeds Jewelers at Military Circle mall in Norfolk.
This won't be the season, however, for furniture, cars and other big-ticket items, analysts say.
While merchants in Hampton Roads should see nice gains, probably 5 percent to 6 percent over last year's holiday intake, sales in the area will be slightly off the statewide pace, said Roy Pearson, director of the Bureau of Business Research at the College of William and Mary.
That's mostly because this region is still feeling the effects of defense cutbacks, Pearson said.
This year, merchants have launched fierce advertising campaigns for your money. The newspapers are plump and mailboxes are loaded with advertisements.
They'll be fighting to attract consumers by showing they have the best hours, the most personal services and the sweetest deals.
Some of the promotions border on the unreal. Hecht's at Lynnhaven Mall, for example, put racks of women's designer clothing on sale for $9.99 last Sunday. And a jewelry store in Virginia Beach says it will pay all customers for their holiday purchases at the shop if it snows at least 3 inches at Times Square on New Year's Eve.
Fine print: The odds probably are just a bit better than the Virginia Lotto's. And the store owner isn't stupid; he took out an insurance policy for the promotion.
Competition prompted many stores, including Kmart and Rose's, to open on Thanksgiving. Others will extend their hours starting today.
Wal-Mart gets the early-bird prize today for opening at 6 a.m., before the crack of dawn. Most department stores were to follow an hour later. The Greenbrier, Military Circle, Lynnhaven and Chesapeake Square malls open at 8 a.m.
``Trust me, there will be people out there, waiting,'' said Cross, of Chesapeake Square Mall.
Customers who expect to leave stores with hundreds of dollars in merchandise and walk through darkened parking lots should be relieved to hear that many malls will be offering escort services.
At Military Circle, two golf carts will carry customers from several mall entrances to their cars after 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The service begins today and lasts until Christmas Eve.
``Also, any store can call the security office, and we'll escort you to your car, no problem,'' said Deidre M. Condoyiannis, the mall's general manager.
At Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach, ``helpers'' will carry packages to vehicles and, if it's raining, hold umbrellas over customers' heads. Inside, the American Red Cross will check coats and wrap gifts.
With jewelry expected to be a hot seller, stores like Reeds Jewelers at Military Circle say they get concerned when consumers leave with expensive gems, Rolex watches and other goods.
``If someone does buy a good hunk of merchandise, we have a salesman who will walk them to their car if they ask,'' said Kinter, of Reeds. ``Sometimes, I will actually offer. I know I get afraid sometimes when I walk through the parking lot.''
For those who don't feel like fighting crowds, catalog companies also are focusing on service. They are offering faster delivery through overnight couriers.
Judging by orders received so far at catalog retailer Lillian Vernon's Virginia Beach center, an increasing number of customers already have opted to stay at home. The phones keep ringing, and boxes filled with gifts are whipping through the warehouse.
For the clothing shopper, meanwhile, it seems as if there must be a catch to some of the bargains out there. The suspicious shopper might look for a lipstick stain, a missing button or a broken zipper.
But chances are, there's nothing amiss.
This holiday season, there really are some deals in apparel, partly because of a year of soft sales and lingering warm weather, retail analysts say.
Consumers who wait might benefit even more: If retailers don't sell their winter clothing soon, prices could fall further.
While the apparel industry has struggled, discounters like T.J. Maxx and Marshall's have grabbed consumers who want a bargain.
``Value is the biggest thing,'' said Bill Redding, a manager at the T.J. Maxx in the Janaf Shopping Center. ``This year, everybody's trying to squeeze more for the dollar.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by MORT FRYMAN/
Tracey Brockway and daughter Annie paused while shopping at
Lynnhaven Mall. They were out on Wednesday; officially, today is Day
1 of Christmas madness.
by CNB