THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 25, 1995 TAG: 9511250239
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 111 lines
Santa wishes he had it this good: package carriers, parking-lot escorts and a few freebies from the stash.
On Friday, as shoppers stampeded the malls for the traditional kickoff of the holiday shopping season, retailers wooed and pampered them with a wealth of goodies - everything from free gift wrap to free shipping.
The reason? Shoppers are in the driver's seat this year. They are busy, they are skeptical and they are frugal. They know what they want and how much they'll pay.
With fiercer competition and a questionable holiday season, retailers are going the extra mile.
Shopping-center managers, for example, woke up several years ago to find many of their customers shopping from catalogs at home. Anxious to keep their retailers thriving, malls stepped up their seasonal efforts. Some centers were offering free gift-wrapping and perks for customers who spent oodles of money inside.
All five major local malls - Military Circle Shopping Center, Lynnhaven Mall, Greenbrier Mall, Chesapeake Square Mall and Pembroke Mall - said they were willing to escort crime-wary and baggage-weary shoppers to their cars.
In Norfolk, Military Circle offered nightly shuttles from mall entrances to parking lots. Staffers puttered around in golf carts, picking up customers and their packages. At Lynnhaven Mall, shoppers could check in their heavy winter coats and packages at the Red Cross service center. The mall's ``holiday helpers,'' meantime, were willing to open doors, carry packages and walk customers to their cars.
``Everybody has taken a good reception to it,'' said James Antone, one of the volunteers. ``One lady was like, `I want to take you home with me.' Other people are like, `What do I do? Do I get the door?' ''
The escorts also ease customers' fears of walking through darkened parking lots.
``It's nice, especially at night,'' said Lesa Seielstad, a Virginia Beach resident who was shopping in the morning with her husband and 4-year-old daughter.
At Greenbrier, Chesapeake Square and Pembroke, shoppers can get the same help if they ask a security guard or mall employee.
As people head for the malls, catalog retailers are upping the ante. Some are offering free shipping. Others, like J. Crew clothing, promise next-day shipping until Dec. 23.
But for shoppers, some of the best bargains could be found at the crack of dawn Friday.
That's when merchants, hungry for sales, began sweet-talking residents - with early-bird specials.
At Hills Department Stores, which opened at 6 a.m., there were free coffee, donuts and Santa ornaments for morning shoppers.
Even Southern States in Chesapeake stepped in with its holiday promotions, offering horse wormers for $9.99 and a big truck box: ``A Gift Every Truck Driver Would Appreciate!''
Woe to the customers at Proffitt's department stores who did not chew carefully. Tucked inside Cracker Jack boxes, amid the glazed popcorn, were gift certificates, coupons - or a $3,000 sapphire and diamond ring.
Even before the holiday season debuted, retailers were trying to outdo each other by offering generous hours of operation. A growing number of retailers are opening on Thanksgiving Day.
Rose's Inc., which recently emerged from bankruptcy protection, took it one step further, opening its stores at 6 a.m. and closing at 11 p.m.
On Friday, many discounters opened at 6 a.m. Wal-Mart, not to be outdone, welcomed shoppers into its stores an hour earlier.
Once again, customers crowded outside in the cold and dark, rushing in to buy discounted video cassette recorders and other products.
Local Wal-Mart stores are now open 24 hours a day during the holiday season. The company's Virginia Beach outlet is open 24 hours year-round.
Customers anxious to avoid crowds embraced the morning hours.
An early riser, Pete Prescott headed for Hills Department Store in Chesapeake's Greenbrier community at 6:30 a.m. and then drove to Greenbrier Mall.
``I try to get as much done as early as I can to avoid the crowds,'' the Chesapeake resident said.
Good idea.
People who arrived later in the morning found packed parking lots and long lines. By 11:30 a.m., traffic headed for Lynnhaven Mall had backed up onto the expressway.
Retail analysts are forecasting tepid sales in November and December. But there are other signs, like an increase in shopping in the first two weeks of November, that point to a much better season.
Some merchants, however, are expected to do better than others. Those who sell jewelry, consumer electronics, computer items and home products already are seeing bursts in sales.
People also appear to be shopping earlier this year - a good sign for retailers. Last year, many got stuck with loads of merchandise.
However, it will be difficult for merchants to guess how they'll fare based solely on this weekend. After the initial explosion in spending, shopping tapers off until a week or two before Christmas.
If things are slow in early December and retailers get edgy, shoppers might benefit from heavy discounts. But even if the near future looked glaringly bright, some merchants wouldn't take anything for granted.
Ptah Asar of Kente's II, an African-American boutique in Virginia Beach's Aragona Shopping Center, sent out flyers with discount coupons to local churches. Next month, his store will host book-signings and the lighting of the kirnara for Kwanzaa.
``You want to get people out,'' he said. ``This is the time of the year that gets us over the hump.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by Bill Tiernan, The Virginian-Pilot
Shoppers at Lynnhaven Mall...
Katlyn Drummond, 9 months, meets Santa...
KEYWORDS: CHRISTMAS SHOPPING by CNB