Last-minute shoppers finding bargains at stores

Erin McClune zipped through the clothing aisles at Kmart Sunday, quickly scanning the items on the clothes racks and running her fingers across a few of the shirts. She was on a last-minute mission, looking for a flannel shirt to give to her father-in-law on Christmas.

"It's chronic," McClune said, placing a hand on her forehead. "I try to start early, but I always end up waiting."

The early shoppers might find a better selection, but the last-minute ones often find the best prices. McClune said sales keep getting better as it gets closer to Christmas, which gives her more reason to wait.

"It's un-American not to go to stores for sales," she said.

Department stores and retail chains across the country have been taking steps to ensure that shoppers like McClune have every opportunity to get into the stores and get a bargain before Christmas.

For the second year in a row, Kmart opened its doors the morning of Dec. 20 and won't close them until 8 p.m. Christmas Eve.

"The other night I left at 1 a.m., and we still had two registers open and lines for each," said John Hutchens, operations manager at the Cape Girardeau Kmart.

Hutchens said the reason why the store has been so busy this year could be because it is offering more sales before Christmas rather than after. Many racks throughout the store had sales signs.

Major departments stores in West Park Mall like JCPenny and Famous-Barr, which usually close at 9:30 p.m. throughout the week and at 6 p.m. on Sundays, extended their holiday shopping hours to 11 p.m. last week and slashed their regular prices.

'You can't beat that'

JCPenny senior department manager Natalie Mansell said sales at her store have been 5 to 6 percent more than last year's sales over the past week.

"People in Cape Girardeau got on the idea that it's patriotic to shop," Mansell said. "We haven't been slow at all this season."

Mike Hamilton, who drove from Henderson, Ky., to visit a friend in Cape Girardeau, took advantage of the discounts at JCPenny.

"I had to buy one last gift for my daughter," Hamilton said. "I found a pair of gloves for half off. You can't beat that."

Lisa Mosby and her daughter Tara also found low prices at the mall.

While browsing through the racks at Famous-Barr, the Mosbys came across some sweaters for 25 percent off.

Lisa Mosby said the pair did some last-minute shopping, but when they saw the sale signs in the women's department they couldn't pass it up.

"We're not just last-minute shoppers," Mosby said. "We're the real kind of shoppers: All year long. We use any excuse."

hkronmueller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128