Besides sailing the ocean blue in 1492, Christopher Columbus has long been associated with three-day weekends and mall bargains.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
May Menzis, left, of Cato, receives change from cashier Felicia Brill at A.C. Moore in Auburn Monday afternoon.
May Menzis, left, of Cato, receives change from cashier Felicia Brill at A.C. Moore in Auburn Monday afternoon.
But with an economic crisis dragging down stocks and tightening credit markets over the last few weeks, most average consumers probably did not go into Monday's holiday before the holidays with loose wallets.
If last month's numbers are any indicator, this slump could continue into the most important time of the year for retail businesses. An international trade group reported soft retail sales in September among major U.S. chains, and local shoppers are saying they will likely monitor their spending as December nears.
But some local stores also reported healthy business Monday and expressed optimism about the coming holidays. At Bass Pro Shops in Aurelius, the aisles and registers were more active than your average Monday afternoon.
Store manager Jeff Burdick said Columbus Day is always a busy day for the sporting-goods retailer. It is kind of a pre-shopping day before the season begins, he said, and the upcoming archery season probably brought in some extra shoppers.
Burdick expects the holiday season to be just as productive for Bass Pro as it has in the past, he said.
“We're expecting another very good season,” he said. “We've got some big plans for the holidays.”
Many local chain retailers reached out to customers Monday with holiday-specific deals. Newspaper advertisements showed Dick's Sporting Goods boasting 50 percent savings, and JC Penney cut prices on merchandise between 30 and 55 percent for Columbus Day.
Yet consumers around the country have shown restraint at the registers in recent months. U.S. chain stores reported a 1 percent increase in same-store sales during September, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, a trade group.
That is the lowest growth number since September 2001. The ICSC attributes the slowdown to the financial crisis and the economy. However, the organization also predicts the same stores to post in increase of between 1.5 and 2.5 percent in October.
Auburn resident Scott LaFaver was shopping at the Fingerlakes Mall Monday before heading out for an afternoon of bass fishing with his son. LaFaver is one area consumer who has curbed spending as the economy struggles.
He expects to continue being thrifty into winter, which will surely bring high heating bills, he said.
“I'm going to spend the minimum amount of money for Christmas, hopefully. There's no way I'm going to be able to over extend myself,” LaFaver said. “You've got to cut back somewhere.”
Auburn resident Rose Borza also expects to spend less this holiday season. Her children all live outside the area, she said, and it is likely that their gifts could be the ticket home.
Borza, who runs a massage and energy therapy business on Genesee Street, said the economic downturn has affected her bottom line.
“It has affected me, and in turn, it is going to affect my spending,” Borza said.
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
If last month's numbers are any indicator, this slump could continue into the most important time of the year for retail businesses. An international trade group reported soft retail sales in September among major U.S. chains, and local shoppers are saying they will likely monitor their spending as December nears.
But some local stores also reported healthy business Monday and expressed optimism about the coming holidays. At Bass Pro Shops in Aurelius, the aisles and registers were more active than your average Monday afternoon.
Store manager Jeff Burdick said Columbus Day is always a busy day for the sporting-goods retailer. It is kind of a pre-shopping day before the season begins, he said, and the upcoming archery season probably brought in some extra shoppers.
Burdick expects the holiday season to be just as productive for Bass Pro as it has in the past, he said.
“We're expecting another very good season,” he said. “We've got some big plans for the holidays.”
Many local chain retailers reached out to customers Monday with holiday-specific deals. Newspaper advertisements showed Dick's Sporting Goods boasting 50 percent savings, and JC Penney cut prices on merchandise between 30 and 55 percent for Columbus Day.
Yet consumers around the country have shown restraint at the registers in recent months. U.S. chain stores reported a 1 percent increase in same-store sales during September, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, a trade group.
That is the lowest growth number since September 2001. The ICSC attributes the slowdown to the financial crisis and the economy. However, the organization also predicts the same stores to post in increase of between 1.5 and 2.5 percent in October.
Auburn resident Scott LaFaver was shopping at the Fingerlakes Mall Monday before heading out for an afternoon of bass fishing with his son. LaFaver is one area consumer who has curbed spending as the economy struggles.
He expects to continue being thrifty into winter, which will surely bring high heating bills, he said.
“I'm going to spend the minimum amount of money for Christmas, hopefully. There's no way I'm going to be able to over extend myself,” LaFaver said. “You've got to cut back somewhere.”
Auburn resident Rose Borza also expects to spend less this holiday season. Her children all live outside the area, she said, and it is likely that their gifts could be the ticket home.
Borza, who runs a massage and energy therapy business on Genesee Street, said the economic downturn has affected her bottom line.
“It has affected me, and in turn, it is going to affect my spending,” Borza said.
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
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