LATE SHOPPERS INVADE STORES

There she was -- the tired shopper, sitting on the floor leaning against a planter box just outside the J.C. Penney store at West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau.

Mary Lou Dell of Oran had been at the mall for three hours by 2 p.m. Friday. She was finally done shopping and looking, she said.

Dell was just one of many completing their Christmas shopping Friday, just two days before the big day. More last-minute shoppers were expected to hit the stores today.

Harry Rediger, manager of J.C. Penney, said consumers seem to be shopping later in the season these days. "They're looking for bargains and sales," he said.

The last week is the best week for sales and the last day is the best day, Rediger said. He said today will be hectic as shoppers finish their Christmas buying.

Some last-minute gift ideas include jewelry, cosmetics and accessories like gloves, ties and scarves, Rediger said.

The store is going to have a record month in December, Rediger said. He estimates sales this month will top those of December 1993 by a percentage in double digits.

"People feel good about the economy," Rediger said. "People are in a good mood and shopping."

The calendar has also helped the season's sales because of an extra Saturday for shopping this year, Rediger said. He expects lots of folks to visit the stores on Christmas Eve.

Dell's daughter, Mika, 10, was leaning against the planter with her mother. Dell's husband, Tony, was off to another store to find a gift for a son and another daughter.

"I'd still be going if I needed anything else," Dell said. "Isn't that strange? Here I'm sitting down and my husband is still shopping."

She said they hadn't stopped the whole time they were at the mall. They took time to eat lunch because her husband needed a break, she said.

Mika said she doesn't know what she's getting for Christmas. "But Mom thinks I've been snooping," she said.

One of Friday's marathon shoppers had to be Keith Grissom of East Prairie, who had several bags of "lots of different things" as he walked to his car at about 1:30 p.m.

He listed compact discs, clothes and shoes among the purchased items. He was buying gifts for his wife, his sons, and both his and his wife's parents.

"I started at the WalMart in Charleston this morning at 7:30 when they opened," Grissom said. "I'll be finished with my shopping before I leave Cape tonight about 7."

Grissom was headed over to the Venture entrance to meet his wife Debbie. She had a lot of shopping to do on Friday also, he said. They both had a day off from work and were using it for Christmas shopping.

Jon Layton, 16, of Dexter was shopping with his mother, Sandie Layton. He was buying cologne for his grandfather and posters for some friends.

"This will pretty well do it," he said.

He gives his grandfather a different kind of cologne every year. The choice this year was Preferred Stock because it "smelled pretty good," his mother said.

Kristy Smith, 15, was shopping with her dad, Jim Smith of Advance, a detective with the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

"Dad said he'd take me shopping today," Kristy said. She was looking for "a little bit of everything," like clothes, tapes, cassettes and CDs.

Sollie and Adrian Smith of Parma were walking into the mall about 1:30 p.m. with their teen-age daughter and two younger sons.

"This is my first day to shop because I've been training," said Mrs. Smith, who works for the Social Security Department.

Bridget Watson of Fruitland had her two daughters -- Amanda, 9, and Jennifer, 5, -- in tow as they toured the mall.

"We're shopping at the mall for the first time this season," Watson said. She was looking for some glass for her dad's curio cabinet and something for the babysitter.

The girls got to talk to Santa Claus at the mall. Jennifer said she told him she wanted a Sparkles Pony Pet Shop and a Sparkles Vet Shop.

"She wants to be a veterinarian," Watson said. The family already has a dog, a cat, a bird and two lizards, the girls said.

Amanda said she's going to give the bird a new swing for its cage. She also wants a Dirt Devil to clean her room, A Barbie Starlight Motor Home and Barbie Dreamboat.

Jennifer said she told her mother she wants to make sure that other people receive some gifts for Christmas.

Watson said she is trying to teach her daughters the true meaning of Christmas before they get caught up in the shopping frenzy that comes with the season.

"It's not getting, it's giving," Jennifer said.