Shoppers in last-minute buying rush

Shoppers jammed the nation's malls on the last weekend before Christmas, snapping up bargains and hunting for popular toys.

Merchants are counting on heavy shopping this week to meet their goals.

This past weekend, business was heavy at discounters and luxury stores. But sales remained uneven at midpriced department stores and mall-based apparel chains, which deepened price cuts on sweaters, jewelry and other items, said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group, based in Charleston, S.C. .

"I think it was a very strong weekend, but I don't think it was as big as retailers needed," said Beemer, who conducted interviews with retail clients. He added that consumers "were looking at the lowest price in each category of merchandise."

In Cape Girardeau, business has been brisk at Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

"We've seen lots of people this holiday season," said Joyce Hunter, director of marketing for the mall. "With this being the last week before the holiday, the crowds will be here. I believe that at the end of the day this will be an overall thumbs-up year."

Target also had a busy weekend, said senior team leader Jennifer Cecich. "Sales have been well above expectations this season," she said. "Toys and electronics have been doing very well. All over sales have been good."

'Plenty of time' left

Despite a recovering economy, U.S. merchants struggled with modest sales throughout the season and were counting even more for a sales surge this past weekend after two weekends of Northeast snowstorms. Still, retailers held out hope that the last-minute spending will help merchants meet their sales goals.

"Traffic was about the same as last year, and stores were very busy," said National Retail Federation spokeswoman Ellen Tolley. "And if some stores were a little short of their goal, there's plenty of time for that to change."

The federation is sticking to its holiday forecast for a 5.7 percent gain in total sales from a year ago.

In the past few years, the Saturday before Christmas has been the busiest day of the season. Last year, the Monday before Christmas was the second-biggest sales day.

Last year, the week before Christmas accounted for 41 percent of holiday sales, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

This year, consumers appear to be waiting longer. According to the association's survey, conducted from Dec. 4 to 10, 10 percent of the approximately 6,800 consumers polled had completed their shopping, compared with 15 percent during the same time a year ago.

Many stores, particularly department and apparel stores, had refrained from aggressive discounting earlier in the season, hoping consumers would be willing to pay full price, but the strategy appears to have backfired.

Many stores added "unplanned broad-based discounts" this weekend, according to Tom Filandro, senior retail analyst at Susquehanna Financial Group. Limited Inc.'s Express, for example, offered 40 percent off on all sweaters.

That's good news for consumers such as Margo Whisman, who started her shopping Friday.

"We're just procrastinators, and that's why we get the sales," said Whisman, who was at the Mall St. Matthews in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday.

Staff writer Matt Sanders contributed to this report.