Holiday shopping makes retailers merry

Posted: Dec 30, 2009 5:44 PM by Stacy Daniel
Updated: Dec 30, 2009 5:44 PM

Some local retailers are thankful after an encouraging holiday shopping season. A report by Mastercard advisors', Spendingpulse, which tracks all payment forms, shows retail sales rose 3.6 percent from November 1st through December 24th.That's compared to a 2.3 percent drop one year
ago.
After a grim forecast shoppers and retailers were excited to see that things could be turning around.
The hustle and bustle of the holiday shopping season ends with a cheerful sign the economy could be improving.
Despite a poor projection, retail sales numbers are up.
Shopper, Geiska Belasquez says,"There are so many sales that it made it really easy."
Employees at the Running Warehouse in San Luis Obispo have been busy packing, taping and shipping since the day after Thanksgiving and the holiday rush hasn't stopped yet. Running Warehouse Partner, Joe Rubio says,"It was very good. Sales were up for us 70 percent over last year. It's just a matter of having the man power to on hand to pick and pack and get the stuff out."
Shoppers we talked with said the economy is on their minds but it isn't holding them back.
Margaret Ritchey says, "I am thinking about the economy. I take that very seriously. They're telling us the recession is over and that's, I don't feel we've even touched it yet. I did on-line at Nordstrom's catalog and shopped a little bit at the mall in Modesto."
The numbers were given a boost by all the people who put off purchasing presents until the last minute and that's where shopping online can be a life saver. Beside that, it's just easy says Rubio. "Online sales here continue to increase. They've increased every month essentially ever year is busier than the previous year. Stacy Daniel asks, Do you think more and more people are doing their shopping by going online? Rubio answers, Oh, yeah. Before you went online to get better prices, now it's it often times easier."
Consumer experts say bad weather in other parts of the nation could have been what caused online sales to increase by more than 18 percent over last year.
There's good news for people who haven't had their fill of holiday shopping, bargain hunters can expect stores to slash prices through New Year's.