02.28
One of the busiest shopping weekends of the holiday season delivered a hint of discount tiffany for some local boutiques and gift shops.
Sales were up slightly at several Roanoke area stores on Friday and through the weekend, compared with last year.
But it’s too early to tell whether the past few days signal a strong holiday sales season for retail, an industry hit hard by slow consumer spending.
A spokesman for the National Retail Federation said Sunday that the industry group will not change its forecast of a 1 percent decline in holiday retail sales. Scott Krugman of the NRF said it may revisit the forecast later in the season.
Meanwhile, more people shopped on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, compared with last year, but they spent less, the NRF reported. Shoppers were lured by deep discounts on high-dollar electronics, and even practical gifts, including $3 slow cookers.
Though 195 million people shopped on Black Friday, an increase from 172 million last year, each person spent on average $343.31. That’s down from $372.57 from 2008.
Local retailers tried new tactics to entice shoppers this holiday season, and it seemed to pay off last tiffany jewelry sale.
Gwenda Kellett discounted all gifts and Christmas decor by 20 percent on Friday and Saturday at her Southwest Roanoke County shop, Plantagenet Rose. This was the first year that she put merchandise on sale surrounding Black Friday.
She believes that the discounts helped to lift the weekend’s sales by 10 percent to 15 percent over last year’s levels.
Customers “were in the mood to shop,” Kellett said. “Twenty percent off makes them a little bit more focused.”
Mary Barton said she tried to be smarter about the kinds of merchandise that she ordered this year for her store, Willow Grove, in Roanoke County. She added some lower-priced items, such as sterling silver jewelry and Tyler candles.
The jewelry, which can be engraved, ranges from $25 for earrings to $45 for rings.
Also, three small Tyler candles are $10, while larger candles are $16.
“I tried to be so careful, knowing that customers are looking for better price points,” Barton said.
Her shop’s weekend sales were up from last year.
Even so, business at Millie & Co., a women’s boutique in downtown Salem, was brisk even though there weren’t many sales.
Last year at this time, co-owner Ann Wolfer marked down much of the shop’s merchandise, hoping that it would move off racks as financial uncertainty peaked.
This year, she set up only one $25 sales rack of leftover merchandise from past seasons. charm bracelet else at Millie & Co. was discounted.
The shop’s results were pleasantly surprising.
Between Wednesday and Sunday, people bought full-priced sweaters and accessories as gifts. Others even snatched apparel for themselves, such as $150 to $250 cocktail dresses, Wolfer said.
Saturday was Millie’s busiest day, while sales for the entire weekend were higher than last year.
“I’m beginning to see a little bit more consumer confidence as opposed to consumer wariness,” Wolfer said.