North Olympic Peninsula holiday shoppers were more practical than indulgent this year, retailers interviewed Monday said.
At Walmart, for example, electronics and other luxuries were not as hot as they were in past years — but sales of practical items such as appliances were up, said Becky Hill, assistant manger in Port Angeles.
“People were really cautious buying things,” she said.
“Electronics is usually one of our biggest things, but this year it seemed like consumers were more interested in more reasonable items.”
Jodi Hellman, a buyer for Swain’s Outdoor, said shopping at both the Sequim and Port Townsend stores was down slightly from last year.
“Our biggest item this year was in shoes,” she said.
“This seems more geared toward people’s resolutions to shape up, rather than the holidays.”
Tight to money
She said that although business at the stores were down, the difference was slight.
“People are holding tight to their money — but we have had quite a few exchanges this season,” she said.
Nationwide, retailers saw a 3.6 percent increase in holiday sales over last year — though if it is adjusted for an extra day between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, that percentage drops to 1 percent, according to MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse, which estimates all forms of payment including cash.
The 1 percent increase hovers near analysts’ predictions of no increase over last year’s sales.
‘Tough economy’
Don Droz, Swain’s General Store manager in Port Angeles, said the holiday was slightly better than last year.
“It was just as well, and a little better than last year,” he said.
“It is a tough economy to be in right now, but we are weathering the storm because of our experienced and fantastic employees and our very loyal customers.”
He said he had noticed more caution with consumers as well.
“Consumers are being very cautious with their purchases and seem to be making more practical purchases rather than luxuries as we’ve seen in the past,” he said.
He also credited extra sales during the season with drawing more business.
“We managed to draw in some more foot traffic which helped,” he said.
Penney’s boosted
The J.C. Penney store in Sequim saw a boost over last year, said Nicole Snyder, floor supervisor.
“We had an improvement,” she said.
“I’m fairly sure that it is because we are one of the only ones selling this type of clothing since Gottschalks closed down.”
The Gottschalks store in downtown Port Angeles shuttered midyear as part of the chain-wide bankruptcy liquidation and closure.
Snyder said although the economic times have affected everyone, some potentially bad things turned out well for the store.
“When the [Hood Canal] bridge was closed, for example, we did really well,” she said.
“We also had a few more sales than usual, and now we’re just having clearance.”
The floating bridge was closed to traffic for five weeks in May and June for its east-half replacement.
Serious shoppers
At Necessities & Temptations, the Port Angeles retailer, Christmas-themed items were big, owner Edna Petersen said.
“We had a good time, and our customers were all happy,” she said.
“People were very serious shoppers this year — they were very contemplative before they purchased and not impulsive.
“But the consumers I’ve seen were purchasing with confidence.”
Gail Boulter, owner of Clothes Horse in Port Townsend, said the store had seen a boost over last year but was still not up to par with previous years.
“We’ve done fine — but last year was really a disaster with all of the snowstorms,” she said.
“We’re doing better at this point than we had before, but we’re not up to where we were quite yet.”
She attributed the lag to the economy, the Hood Canal Bridge closure and the periodic absence of the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry.
“We are looking forward to a much better 2010,” she said.
“I’m not, by any means, displeased, but we’re not totally up to snuff — though I’m sure we’ll get there soon.”
She said Fancy Feathers, a consignment store co-located with her store, had a very good year.
“The consignment store is doing really, really good,” she said.
“I think that really shows where the economy has been.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
