THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 26, 1994 TAG: 9411260081
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
Bonnie Moore glances over her shoulder at the stranger who has targeted her, inching ever closer.
But the stranger doesn't want her purse. The driver in the red Grand Am wants her parking space near the main entrance to Lynnhaven Mall.
And that driver will creep behind her as long as it takes to get it.
Sound familiar?
Probably, you've done it yourself, stalking the nice family through the mall parking lot. You hunker behind the wheel, keeping the front bumper of your car a few feet from their warm bodies. You turn on your blinker to let the other drivers know that this family is marked - their parking space is yours.
``I've always wondered why customers want to park as close as possible so they can walk around all day inside,'' said Pam Cross, marketing director at Chesapeake Square Mall.
Ahh, holiday shopping.
Get used to it.
The next 29 days may be a lot like Friday, traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year. A MasterCard customer survey shows shoppers have $63 more to spend on gifts this season than last. On average, each shopper is expected to fork over $486.
Gary Cooper, a mechanic from Virginia Beach who was browsing in the stores at Lynnhaven Mall, said he's comfortable enough with the economy to spend up to $1,000 on gifts. There will be a ``dress-up'' watch for his wife and other nice gifts for his child, friends and relatives.
``I'll definitely buy more this year,'' he said.
Hot gifts for the holidays include portable CD players, computer software games and jewelry. For children, it's those Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and this season, parents shouldn't have to mob toy stores and kick each other to get them.
A popular educational toy is GeoSafari, a portable computer game that teaches children about history, Spanish and other subjects. ``This is our No. 1 selling Christmas item,'' said Sandy Romero, manager of Hammett's Learning Center at the Janaf Shopping Center in Norfolk.
Analysts expect a 5 percent to 8 percent increase in sales from Friday to Christmas Eve nationwide over last year. Hampton Roads might will lag slightly below those levels, due to military downsizing, they say.
While retail analysts expect the season to start slowly as shoppers procrastinate, stores Friday seemed plenty crowded. Cars, trucks and buses jammed roads around malls. Parking spots were scarce.
At 5:30 a.m., it was cold and pitch-dark outside. But the parking lot in front of the Wal-Mart in Chesapeake's Greenbrier community was beginning to fill up. Cars idled to keep heaters blasting, and the people inside were chatting, sipping coffee and glancing at their watches, awaiting the 6 a.m. opening.
At 5:45 a.m., the first shopper slammed shut her car door and ambled toward the Wal-Mart entrance. A few more did the same. Then everyone came.
``This is herd mentality,'' said Cathy Kirby of Chesapeake.
Frowning and sighing, the herd looked through the glass at the employees bustling inside. Kirby shivered in the cold.
Too early.
``It's 10 minutes till they open,'' one woman said from the middle of the crowd. ``Why are we here?''
``I expected a few people, but I didn't expect a knock-down, drag-out fight,'' said Herman Bonner, a Portsmouth resident who stared incredulously at the crowd of about 50 people.
By 6:15 a.m., the parking lot was filled.
Meanwhile, other Hampton Roads shoppers were starting to head for the malls, where department stores opened at 7 a.m.
Vera Chavis was waiting to shop.
Last holiday season, the Chesapeake woman went to a new store that was mobbed. She barely got a parking space, and when it came time to leave, cars were waiting for her spot.
``They tap on your window saying, `Are you going to leave now?' '' she said. ``Then you back out, and someone else pulls in. You kind of make enemies.''
This time, she decided to get everything done early. Friday morning, she jumped out of bed, dressed in a jogging outfit and made a beeline for the Leggett department store in Military Circle Mall.
The parking lot belonged to Chavis - empty spaces were everywhere. She chose one just a few yards from the Leggett entrance and waited patiently in her car for an employee to unlock the doors.
``When everybody gets here,'' she said with a sly smile, ``I'll be home.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff color photos by BETH BERGMAN
Bonnie Sandy of Montross points out merchandise to her mother, Jean
Ashburn of Chesapeake, just minutes before the Greenbrier Wal-Mart
opened at 6 a.m. Friday. Sandy was in town for holiday shopping.
Nancy Worley of Moyock pushes a cartful of popcorn at Wal-Mart.
Theresa Olson of Washington, N.C., was visiting relatives in Hampton
Roads for Thanksgiving. She arrived early Friday morning at the
Wal-Mart, picked out a big pile of merchandise and got in the
checkout line.
Some of the early birds parade in the Wal-Mart at 6 a.m. Friday,
which traditionally is the biggest shopping day of the year across
the country. Analysts expect each shopper to average $486 on gifts
this season.
KEYWORDS: CHRISTMAS SHOPPING RETAIL SALES
by CNB