It wasn't quite the mob scene created by Black Friday bargain shoppers, but the traffic in the aisles and checkout lines at area retailers were definitely at a high level Friday as the final weekend before Christmas began.
Store managers said bargains in the days leading up to Christmas are often the best of the shopping season, but there's always the risk wish list items may be out-of-stock.
"That's the risk you take waiting but the deals now are better than we had on Black Friday," said Summer Mason, manager of Peebles in Marietta.
Mason, who has worked for the local retailer for six years, said sales on the weekend before Christmas often rival all other days.
"It's been busy but I expect a very busy weekend," she said. "We're on pace to be back where we were before the start of the recession. We have been slowly coming back - growing a little each year - but we're just now finally back to where we were before it all started."
This week, the National Retail Federation predicted holiday sales for the holiday shopping season to rise 3.8 percent to a record $469.1 billion. The revision is up from its more modest 2.8 percent forecast made in early October.
Teresa Stuart, of Marietta, said she was just starting her holiday shopping on Friday. She and her husband had toured toy aisles earlier in the shopping season with their 3-year-old son to get ideas, she said.
"I'm finding out that waiting this late may not have been the best idea," she said. "I'm settling on the next-best thing because the best thing isn't here anymore."
Stuart said work and family obligations prevented her from getting out and shopping earlier.
"I'm always looking for a bargain but it doesn't do me any good if they don't have what I'm looking for when I get there," she said.
Mona Chesnutt, toy and sporting goods department head at Kmart in Marietta, also reported better-than-expected sales at the store.
"Toys and electronics are just rolling out of here," she said. "It's been amazing how busy we've been and how much people are spending, given how bad the economy has been."
Chesnutt said deep discounts and the popular layaway option at the business also likely led to the rise in business this holiday season.
"The layaway department has been going non-stop," she said. "People really like having that option."
The layaway plan at the store allows customers to pick up items when they're available, or on sale, and pay for them over an 8 or 12 week period.
Katie Miller, 30, of Marietta, was browsing the toy aisle at Kmart on Friday along with her 2-year-old son, Ryan. She said she still needed to buy for her husband and two step-children before the end of next week."I've bought a few things but I've still got a long way to go," she said.
Miller said she prefers to shop at Kmart or Walmart in Marietta, rather than travel to the mall or other shopping centers.
"The mall is always over-crowded and I think over-priced sometimes," she said. "I'd rather stay close to home and just look for bargains here."
The National Retail Federation also said in their release this week that consumer polls show many Americans are further behind on their holiday shopping than in previous years, meaning the next few days should be busier for retailers.
Source: www.mariettatimes.com
