Retailers waiting for sales surge

NEW YORK – With Dec. 25 less than a week away, many stores are finding themselves in the perennial position of counting on procrastinators to meet their sales goals, despite early reports of solid sales this past weekend.

Stores have generally stuck to planned discounts throughout the holiday season, not buckling to pressures from shoppers who are waiting for the best deals. That’s good news for retailers’ fourth-quarter profits.

But it also makes it more nerve-racking as merchants wait for the big sales surge. After pulling in better-than-expected crowds on Black Friday, the start of the holiday shopping season, shoppers have been returning to stores at a slower-than-expected pace.

Shoppers did shop early for certain hot toys such as Fisher-Price’s T.M.X. Elmo and Sony’s PlayStation3, and popular consumer electronics like flat-panel TVs. Pricey fashions and jewelry as well as status handbags have been hot too, but for most of the other merchandise, particularly apparel, consumers are dilly-dallying.

“The general consumer consensus is that they have time,” said Kim Roffey, a strategist at Kurt Salmon Associates. “That’s great for consumers, but nerve-racking for retailers.”

With Christmas falling on a Monday, shoppers know they have a full weekend before the holiday.

Clearly, this holiday season, the nation’s stores have made it easier for consumers to procrastinate with expanded hours and attractive deals in the final days. J.C. Penney Co. had an 18-hour blowout sale on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Toys “R” Us aims to pull in procrastinators by having huge shipments delivered to stores this week of the hard-to-find toys. They include more than 65,000 T.M.X. Elmo units, more than 30,000 Fisher-Price Kid Tough Digital Cameras and more than 6,000 Sony PlayStation3 consoles.