RETAILERS: IT'S `BUMPER TO BUMPER PEOPLE'

Hundreds of shoppers flocked to Cape Girardeau retail stores Sunday, conscious that time to shop for last-minute Christmas gifts soon will run out.

"It's bumper to bumper people" said Kim Pettit, who manages Everything's $1 in West Park Mall. "From the time we opened the gates, there have been people lined up."

Long check-out lines and packed parking lots made some weekend shoppers even more frantic than usual.

But Pettit said that although stores were crowded Saturday and Sunday, she expects tonight and Tuesday afternoon to be just as busy.

"We're open Christmas Eve until 5, and I expect a lot of people to come in for last-minute stocking stuffers," she said.

Pettit said that, in addition to shopping for gifts, people Sunday clamored for other holiday necessities, such as Christmas gift wrap and bows. "We can hardly keep them in the store," she added.

At Venture, Marge McDonald of Jackson said she has finished her own Christmas list, but was helping her daughter with her Christmas shopping.

"There's a big crowd, but that's OK. Big crowds don't bother me," she said.

At K Mart in Cape Girardeau, shopper Janice Calhoun of Clearwater, Fla. and her mother, Vert Leiner of Scott City, admitted that last-minute Christmas shopping isn't ideal.

"It's crowded and it's hectic," said Calhoun, who added she waited to shop because she didn't want to transport gifts from Florida to relatives' homes in Missouri.

Leiner said she particularly didn't like shopping so close to Christmas because merchandise tends to be picked over, making it harder to find the perfect gift.

"There's nothing left. I think maybe the store owners were afraid to stock up this year," she said.

Both women said they thought the stores this year were not as crowed as they have been in previous years.

At Mail Boxes, Etc. in West Park Mall, general manager Lou Haglert said business was booming. The temporary store wraps, packs and ships gifts, and sells gift certificates for use at any store in the mall.

"There seem to be more shoppers this weekend than there were during the weekend before Christmas last year," Haglert said. "Maybe the short holiday season has something to do with it."

Haglert said shoppers are choosy this year, and looking for bargains.

"I think you have a lot of conscientious buyers out there," he said. "They're looking for some value for their dollar."

Selling especially well this weekend were mall gift certificates, Haglert said.

"We had to go back to the bank three times yesterday to get more. People are buying them as fast we get them printed up," he said. "When people don't know what to buy, they get a gift certificate. I think that will continue through Christmas Eve."