Most of those interviewed don't do online shopping.

Most of those interviewed don't do online shopping.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NILES -- If a slight downturn in the local economy has caused some people to curtail their holiday shopping habits, it wasn't evident from what several patrons of the Eastwood Mall had to say earlier this week.
Tougher economic times brought about largely by reductions in the number of workers at Delphi Packard and GM Lordstown also didn't appear to have a bearing on what they normally buy. The local economy also could take another hit if Forum Health decides to cut back on personnel.
The effects of downsizing at Delphi and GM, however, didn't stop Rachael Kurtzman, 13, and her 16-year-old sister, Corey Yahnert, both of Bristolville, from spending some money at the mall, on U.S. Route 422.
Corey said she was looking for flared jeans and striped shirts. T-shirts and other attire with stripes and designs on the sides are popular now, she observed.
Electronic items
Also in vogue for many youngsters are iPods and MP3 players, the girls added.
"I'm planning on buying an iPod for Christmas to download music and to use them in study hall," Corey said.
"The [local] economy has not really affected my habits. It's not had an effect on my family," Rachael added.
Both girls live with their grandfather, Milton Kurtzman.
Electronic gadgets, however, probably won't find their way onto Tameka Henderson's shopping list. Instead, it's easier to give gift cards to older members of her family and save buying pairs of pajamas and learning toys, for example, for the younger kids, said Henderson, a telemarketer who lives in Warren.
"I'm not really into iPods," Henderson said, holding her 4-year-old son, Mar-kwuan. Local economic conditions have not impacted her shopping habits, Henderson added.
Also hitting stores
Chris Whetzel said he likes to buy clothing and other more traditional merchandise during most of the year, but reserves the holidays for hitting the stores for electronic items.
Whetzel also was at the mall with his 2-year-old daughter, Lucy, to shop for her. Many kids seem to go for movies on DVDs and the line of Dora Explorer dolls, named after a cartoon character on Nickelodeon, which are hot items and teach various languages, he noted.
"For kids, it's more stuff that encourages them to use their imagination," Whetzel said of popular children's toys.
Whetzel, a car salesman at Diane Sauer Chevrolet in Warren, concurred that the economy has not deterred his shopping habits. Many people will continue to spend money during the holidays, he predicted.
"Our economy is more diversified," he said. "[Job losses] have hurt some families, but most are prepared for it."
None of the four indicated that they do much online shopping.
Weekend shopper
Usually Saturdays are reserved for treks to the stores for Irene Bellus of Howland, who's retired. If a sale is good enough, though, it may entice her to also shop once during the week, she said.
Neither Bellus nor her son, who retired from GM, is affected by the Valley's economy when it comes to what they buy, she added.
"He's always shopping; he's got everything," she said. For Bellus: "I shop until I drop, and one day I won't have any money left," she said with a laugh.
Bellus said she avoids gift cards and favors Dillard's and Macy's as primary locations to shop mainly for toys and clothing for her grandchildren.