Christmas Is Past, So Let the Shopping Begin

RALEIGH, N.C. — If Christmas is past, it must be time to go shopping.

Some people wait until after Christmas before they buy their gifts because they can find better deals. Stores are anxious to clean out winter merchandise so they can restock with spring items. There also are a lot of folks out and about at the malls with gift cards in their pockets, and the stores would like them to come in, too.

They have plenty of opportunities. North Carolina has the seventh-largest number of shopping malls in the nation—1,839.

“We have an anuual sale where our Christmas merchandise is up to 50 percent off, and a majority of our customers know what our sale is about," says Crate & Barrell Manager Tara Fisher at the Crabtree Valley Mall store.

Fisher said most items are on sale as the store makes room for next year’s merchandise

"Tomorrow we'll start putting out the new things. So in about two weeks, it'll look like a completely different store," she said.

Shopper Linda Creech said she is already doing her Christmas shopping for 2007.

“It is my shopping tradition, the day after Christmas," Creech said. "I don't care if I don't even buy anything, but I love coming to the mall the day after Christmas."

The National Retail Federation, which represents stores and online sellers said it expects Americans will spend more than $457 billion this holiday season—up 5 percent from last year.

Many local post-Christmas sales involve winter clothes. An unusually warm fall discouraged people from buying winter clothing yet, but spring comes regardless of what winter is like, and stores want those clothes off the racks and out of the way.

"A lot of winter stuff is on sale. It's been too warm to really wear it, and they want to get rid of it. And people will buy it, because they'll need it eventually," said ***** Creech.