Local shopping picture on B1.Shoppers were up early the day after Christmas to hunt for bargains as stores cut prices to try to prolong a profitable holiday season.
Many stores opened hours early Sunday - and customers were waiting. Cars lined up outside the parking lot at the Glendale Galleria near Los Angeles at 7:30 a.m., half an hour before the stores opened."It was a feeding frenzy. It was like someone had won the $90 million lottery. It was actually scary," Andrea Esquer said as she shopped at a Dillard's store in Mesa, Ariz.
In Seattle, those who opted for downtown shopping in order to avoid the crush of suburban malls found that their instincts steered them right.
"I bet if you go to the outlying malls it's a zoo out there. I wouldn't say this is a zoo. It's quite nice, actually," said Kirk Brownell.
The downtown Westlake Shopping Center was surprisingly easy to move around in. Many of the bigger crowds gathered at The Bon Marche's Christmas department, where wrapping paper and ornaments were 50 percent off, and lines were 20 deep.
In the appliance department of a Sears in Fayetteville, Ark., customers snapped up washers, dryers and refrigerators at sale prices. And at the Bullock's department store in Scottsdale, Ariz., some shoppers exchanged gifts for higher-priced items, manager Claire Brand said.
"If you're coming in for sale merchandise, come in now because this stuff is selling like crazy," she said.