The Day-After Dash Malls Crowded As Sales, Returns Fill The Aisles

Lounging around the house in new pajamas was not the way many people spent the day after Christmas.

Decked out in new Christmas clothes - at least those not being returned - shoppers flocked to malls and stores Tuesday to take advantage of after-Christmas sales and to return gifts.

Many stores opened early and cut prices to entice shoppers.

NorthTown Mall handled the crowds in its busy parking lots with traffic guards.

Many who braved the throngs were at the mall to use Christmas gift certificates, said Kim Hagerty, NorthTown marketing director.

“We sold a lot of gift certificates,” she said. “Kids have the week off and it looks like they are taking advantage of the time off.”

For Davenport resident Jane Goodman, it was either hunting with her husband and two sons or returning gifts. Her feet hurt from their last hunting expedition and she figured a day of shopping would be less stressful than a day in the woods. So she chose to return gifts at NorthTown.

Goodman said the crowded mall looked like it did before the holiday.

“It’s not any worse than it was a couple of days ago,” she said.

At big box stores and other smaller stores as well, Tuesday proved busy.

Magnolia Hi-Fi in north Spokane, which started a sale Saturday, has seen a steady flow of customers during the holiday season, said Rob Waples, store manager.

“We’ve been busy the whole season, and we’ve been busy today (Tuesday),” he said.

At electronics stores, customers searching for sales are more common than those returning gifts, Waples said.

“We don’t see a lot of returns. People know what they want. They have been given a list and know what to look for,” he said.

At the Valley Toys R Us, the day after Christmas is usually the busiest day of the holiday week because of sales on Christmas items, such as bows and gift wrap, said James Stewart, store director.

Tuesday also was a busy day for parents returning toys that did not quite work out, he said.

“Today will be our busiest day as far as returns are concerned,” he said.

Most toys are returned because they were either defective or broken prior to opening, not from overzealous children on Christmas morning, he explained.

The bulk of customers at the Valley Target were taking advantage of sales.

“We’re not seeing people so much for returns but for our Christmas clearance,” said Mary Eye, executive team leader for guest services.

The store’s hot item was storage bins for all the Christmas bounty, Eye said.

Linda Pettina is one of those who was taking advantage of the Christmas clearance.

“I didn’t come to return anything,” Pettina said. “I just wanted to get wrapping paper for next year.”

The only problem with post-Christmas sales is the early shoppers who pick over the best merchandise, Pettina said.

“I might have been able to get some good deals had I started out early this morning,” she said.

A trend Eye has noticed is more people are holding off returning gifts for a couple of days to avoid the crowds.

“People are starting to get smart and not return things the day after Christmas,” Eye said.

Ryan Blethen can be reached at 927-2150 or by e-mail at ryanb@spokesman.com.