Wednesday, December 25, 2002
It may not be as big as the day after Thanksgiving, but Dec. 26 is becoming a popular time for sales.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- It used to be that those working in the retail sector dreaded two days each year: "Black Friday" and Dec. 26.
The day after Thanksgiving, which some retailers call Black Friday, is generally considered to be the biggest single shopping day of the year. The day after Christmas, though, was often seen as the biggest return day of the year, as crowds of people streamed through the doors to return presents they didn't want in the first place.
But department-store managers throughout the region say the dreaded day of returns is not what it once was.
"I was just talking to my staff, telling them how I dreaded that day," said Kathy Baca, manager of Sears in the Eastwood Mall.
Finding deals
These days, however, she said the day after Christmas is becoming a day for shoppers to find some bargains.
"It's really different than it was in years past," she said. "Now we have so many people coming in with gift cards they received, looking for the perfect gift for themselves. The whole concept of that day has really changed over the years."
Gary Hodgkins, manager of J.C. Penney in the Shenango Valley Mall, said he has seen the shift in diminishing returns in the past three or four years.
"Now people are looking to shop sales instead of returning items," he said. "It's starting to become a pretty good day for retail."
Hodgkins also noted that the amount of returns stores see in the days after Christmas might depend on what day of the week the holiday falls.
"People may take a few days to stretch out when they make returns," he said. "If Christmas falls on a Friday, then we might expect that there would be more returns on Saturday."
Strategies for selling
Jake Aron, manager of Kmart on Mahoning Avenue in Austintown, said he sees two areas as the key to having a good selling day Dec. 26.
"No. 1 is the amount of holiday items you have left to go on sale," he said. "No. 2 is how good your ad is."
His store, for example, plans to offer specials on consumable items, including paper products and cleaning supplies.
"Now that people are done with their gift shopping, they are ready to focus on the consumable items again," Aron said.
Dawn Koehn, a manager at Target on Boardman-Poland Road in Boardman, said workers there aren't really sure whether to expect more sales or returns Thursday because this is the first Christmas the store will be open.
"We will have extra staff on hand the whole weekend," she said.
Koehn said she anticipates that several shoppers will be in the stores looking for deals on clearance items. Most department stores put holiday decoration items on sale for as much as 50 percent off beginning the day after Christmas.
The specials and deals are what help keep sales figures up this time of year, Aron said.
"It won't give Black Friday a run for its money, but I think it's still going to be a big sales day," he said.
slshaulis@vindy.com