Stores Stay Open, Hope for Last-Minute Rush
Washington Post Staff WriterSaturday, December 23, 2006; Page D01
Procrastinating consumers racing to buy last-minute Christmas gifts are expected to make tomorrow the busiest shopping day of the year -- and, retailers hope, provide a much-needed boost to what has so far been a lukewarm holiday season.
Only about 11 percent of shoppers had finished crossing off the names on their lists after last weekend, according to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation, a trade group. More than 15 percent hadn't even started. The group predicts that holiday sales will grow 5 percent over last year, to $457.4 billion, compared to 6.1 percent growth in 2005.
To help boost traffic, many stores are advertising extended hours and discounts reminiscent of the blockbuster weekend after Thanksgiving.
The L.L. Bean stores at the Mall in Columbia and Tysons Corner Center have been open 24 hours a day for the past week and won't close until tomorrow at 6 p.m., company spokeswoman Kathy Whitney said. The stores have been ringing up shoppers at all hours of the day and night since last Saturday. Whitney said this year is the first time the retailer has attempted such an approach outside its flagship store in Freeport, Maine.
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