By Steve Huffman
shuffman@salisburypost.com
With Christmas less than a week away, it’s crunch time for those who procrastinate with their holiday shopping.
You know who we’re talking about.
“We’re getting down to the nitty-gritty,” said Richard Smith, who was strolling across the parking lot heading toward Salisbury Mall Friday afternoon. “I don’t have much longer to put this off.”
Nor does anyone else.
Smith said he’s got an 8-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son, and said he’d bought “a few things” for their Christmases prior to Friday.
But for the most part, Smith said, his holiday buying will take place this weekend.
Smith isn’t alone.
According to the National Retail Federation, the industry’s main trade group, as of Friday, 41 million people haven’t even started their holiday gift-buying.
Today, the Saturday prior to Christmas, is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year.
If you’re heading out today to do some shopping, remember the advice they gave the officers on “Hill Street Blues,” that classic cops show of the ’80s: “Hey, let’s be careful out there.”
Most area merchants would love to see the floodgates of shoppers break wide open this weekend.
Deal Safrit, owner of Literary Bookpost in downtown Salisbury, said his December sales have picked up, but “November was a terrible, terrible month.”
And even in December, he said, “We’re not seeing the sales we saw a year ago.”
Other local merchants say things aren’t that bad.
At the Stitchin’ Post across the street from The Literary Bookpost, Pam Hylton Coffield, the store’s owner, said her business has experienced a good holiday sales season.
Reached by phone Friday afternoon, Coffield was having to balance a couple of other chores while she spoke.
“We’ve been busy,” she said. “With all the doom and gloom they were talking about on TV, we’ve been pleasantly surprised.”
Coffield said end-of-the-season sales have been well balanced between expensive items and cheaper stocking stuffers.
“It’s just kind of a mixture,” she said of what shoppers are buying. “We’ve sold a fair number of expensive gifts.”
At the Salisbury Emporium, owner Mickey Black said sales have been surprisingly good, as well.
“I don’t think it’s quite as bad as the TV folks would lead us to believe,” he said of reports of a recession. “We’re very strongly holding our own and we’re pleased.”
Black said shoppers have been buying lots of expensive ornaments for gifts, and also purchasing just about any nativity scene that’s available.
As Christmas nears, shoppers, Black said, are now going for more traditional gifts for their loved ones.
“We’re not in competition with Wal-Mart, our buyers are looking for different things,” Black said. “But we haven’t had a bad season at all.”
According to market analysts, when it comes to those who procrastinate with their shopping, men lead the way. As of Friday, about 20 percent of those of the male gender had not started their shopping.
Only 8 percent of shoppers have completed their holiday buying.
Researchers say the downturn in the economy has prompted a number of people to delay their purchases, with more and more hoping to stumble upon bargains in the days immediately prior to Christmas.