Shoppers flock to LI malls on holiday

Presidents Day sales, sunny weather and winter recess for many schoolchildren brought shoppers to Long Island's shopping malls Monday as retailers tried to maintain December and January's momentum of slow recovery from recession-depressed sales.

At the Tanger Outlet Center in Riverhead, general manager and marketing director Janine Nebons said its parking lots were nearly full in the early afternoon. "It hasn't looked like this since Christmas," she said. "The really good news is that they have shopping bags, and that means they're buying things, not just walking around."

Normally, the lots hold a total of 4,200 cars, she said, but piles of snow from last week's big storm probably were occupying a few hundred of them.

Many of the shoppers at the 165-store complex were from well to the west, including Nassau County, Brooklyn and Queens, she said, based on information from them elicited by mall personnel as they handed special discount coupons to motorists who are AAA members.

Retail analyst Howard Davidowitz said that despite the good weather, sales receipts likely will be lower overall than those of Presidents Day last year - amid higher unemployment, more bankruptcies and tighter credit.

"The consumer is in much worse shape," said Davidowitz, who is chairman of the retail consulting and investment banking firm Howard Davidowitz & Associates Inc., based in Manhattan. "Sales will be soft, and it will be under last year."

Retailing has, however, shown some indications of slowly climbing back from the nadir of the recession last year. The Washington-based National Retail Federation reported earlier this month that January retail industry sales - excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants - increased 0.5 percent seasonally adjusted from December but decreased 0.2 percent unadjusted year over year.

The U.S. Commerce Department reported slightly more encouraging numbers, which included the auto, gas station and restaurant categories, saying sales increased 0.5 percent seasonally adjusted over December but 3.2 percent unadjusted year over year.

Nebons said Presidents Day is a bright spot in an otherwise slow quarter for the retailers.