Last-minute shoppers pack area stores

Tracy Kietzer normally has each present wrapped and under the Christmas tree by now.

But the Jackson resident spent Tuesday afternoon at stores in the area trying to finish her shopping.

"It snuck up on me," said Kietzer as she stood in the check-out line at PMac Music. "I've gone way too long and decided I needed to finish it up soon."

Kietzer is among those who packed parking lots, big-box stores and downtown businesses in Cape Girardeau in the final days before Christmas. Kietzer said she spent less this year on gifts because of the state of the economy.

"I'm a little nervous about overspending," Kietzer said. "So I'm making more careful decisions on what I purchase."

Several store chains, such as Target and Toys 'R' Us, are extending their hours to accommodate shoppers in the run-up to Christmas.

Bill Martin, co-founder of the Chicago-based ShopperTrak research firm, predicts a 1.6 percent sales gain for the overall holiday period, forecasting shoppers will be out in full force just before Christmas.

Amanda Pace, a Scott City resident who considers herself a procrastinator, was doing some last-minute shopping at Kids Wear Again on Tuesday. Pace said she visited more than a dozen stores before she located hard-to-find gifts, such as the Disney Princess television.

"The whole atmosphere and busyness this time of year is insane," Pace said.

Nationwide, many merchants are hoping this week makes up for a dismal performance last Saturday. The last Saturday before Christmas, dubbed "Super Saturday," usually ranks as the biggest or second-biggest shopping day of the year.

A storm left as much as two feet of snow in some locations on the East Coast, resulting in many shoppers there staying home. ShopperTrak reported Tuesday that Saturday's sales dropped 12.6 percent from a year ago, while foot traffic fell 12.4 percent. Saturday's sales totaled $6.9 billion, ShopperTrak reported, compared with $7.9 billion last year and $8.7 billion in 2007. For the full weekend, sales slipped 2.1 percent to $18.8 billion compared with a year ago.

"Mother Nature was very unkind to retailers on Saturday," Martin said in a written statement.

Martin had originally predicted Super Saturday this year would be retailers' second-most important day behind Black Friday. But after analyzing the data, he said, he thinks that won't be the case.

Even though Saturday turned into a "super disappointment" for retailers, Michael Niemira, chief economist at the International Council of Shopping Centers, said the final week will be intense.

Dr. Bruce Domazlicky, an economics professor at Southeast Missouri State University, said the November unemployment rate of 6.6 percent in Cape Girardeau County will affect the number of shoppers who turn out in the final hours before Christmas. During the same month last year, the county's unemployment rate stood at 4.8 percent.

"I would suspect, like in any other place, the unemployment rate here will hold back some shoppers during these final days," Domazlicky said. "But there's always a lot of last-minute shopping."

Staff writer Brian Blackwell contributed to this report.

bblackwell@semissourian.com

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Pertinent addresses:

2500 William St., Cape Girardeau, MO

118 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau, MO