Shopping, shopping and more shopping!

Posted on Tue, Dec. 27, 2005
Shoppers swoop back for discounts
By Blanca Torres
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
PLEASANTON - It only took a few minutes for mother and daughter Lourdes and Shereen Rabara to find matching beige peacoats at the Gap for 50 percent off -- and that was only one coup during their busy shopping day.
The pair arrived at Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton at 9:30 a.m. Monday ready to stay well into the afternoon -- but only if the price was right.
"I was specifically looking for some things," Shereen Rabara said. "It's the only reason I would get out of bed so early."
The holiday has passed, but shopping was in full swing as consumers crowded malls to take advantage of post-Christmas sales for the homestretch of the retail industry's busiest season of the year. Last year, the week after Christmas accounted for more than 10 percent of total holiday sales, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, a New York-based trade group.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/business/13492631.htm

Posted on Sun, Dec. 25, 2005
Shoppers' objective: Find a deal
By Blanca Torres
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Natalie Espinoza, 17, and her younger sister Melissa Espinoza, 14, hit the Sunvalley mall in Concord on Saturday to find great deals, like 50 percent off all apparel at Aeropostale.
The teens and their mother, Emma Espinoza, all of Vallejo, are not last-minute shoppers. In fact, they already celebrated Christmas last weekend.
The actual holiday, they said, is "for us."
"We came for all the deals and stuff," Natalie said. "After Christmas, there's not as much good stuff left."
Many shoppers wait until the final days before Christmas to find low prices, or merely because they procrastinated. The days also mark retailers' final push for a strong finish to the holiday shopping season.
Experts say shopping patterns waffled in early December after a solid weekend after Thanksgiving. Also, only 26 percent of households said they were done shopping by last Sunday, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/business/13485165.htm