From the archives: Post Christmas sales

This story was originally published in Newsday on Dec. 27, 2004

Ellen Reynolds of Huntington was so busy this Christmas season that she didn't have a chance to shop until after the holiday. So, yesterday afternoon she was in downtown Huntington taking advantage of the post-Christmas sales - and the relative quiet.

"I've found excellent selections," she said as she purchased Christmas ornaments at the Potting Garden, at 50 percent off. "There's no sense that you're getting the leftovers."

Maybe that's because retailers haven't yet been picked clean by holiday shoppers - a cause of concern for merchants as they approach the end of the year's biggest shopping period.

Retailers are now depending on these last few days of the season to draw the crowds that failed to materialize before the holiday.

So far, merchants have struggled to excite shoppers, reporting disappointing figures at each milestone such as the day after Thanksgiving and the weekend before Christmas.

The final statistics won't be out until January, however, after gift cards are redeemed and online sales are factored in.

Still, the National Retail Federation is sticking by its forecast of a modest 4.5 percent increase in holiday sales.

"The holiday season's not over yet. There's still a very important week to go," said Scott Krugman, a federation spokesman.

"Anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of sales come this week because of gift cards. A lot of the redemption will happen this week, along with returns and exchanges. It all adds up to a lot of customer traffic," he said.

Broadway Mall in Hicksville, however, was fairly quiet early yesterday afternoon.

"I guess people are still sleeping. Or they're at church," said Kelly Chan, 12, from Bethpage, who went to the mall with her mother to exchange sneakers.

For those who chose to worship at the altar of the cash register instead, there were plenty of deals to be found.

Shoppers reported paying at least 50 percent off on everything from wrapping paper to late gifts.

Donna Calabrese's bags held 10 rolls of wrapping paper and four boxes of cards. For this Levittown resident, efficiency is key, so she left her kids at home while she stocked up for next year at the Broadway Mall.

"I move much faster without them," she said.