Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
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Martinsville, Virginia 24115
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Lucille Finney of Collinsville pulls an item from a red Santa bag Saturday at Liberty Fair Mall. Finney met family there to exchange gifts before hitting the stores to hunt for deals. (Bulletin photo by Eliza WInston) |
Sunday, December 27, 2009
By ELIZA WINSTON - Bulletin Staff Writer
Local shoppers headed out the day after Christmas looking for deals on next year’s holiday supplies and things to purchase with newly received gift cards and holiday cash.
“I’m here looking for deals,” said shopper Lucille Finney of Collinsville. “I want Christmas decorations for next year and blankets to stay warm this winter.”
Finney was planning to shop only at Liberty Fair Mall because she thought after-Christmas sales there would be the best.
“It’s also important to support the mall. We need to try to keep other stores from closing,” she said.
Her grandson, 4-year-old Noah Martin, enjoyed some after-Christmas gift unwrapping beside her. Finney said they came to the mall to exchange extra gifts with family and then go shopping.
Noah Martin had a bag full of Christmas gifts to unwrap, including a pair of orange binoculars with which to spy good deals. But inside mall stores on Saturday, the sales weren’t hard to spot.
Crowds of shoppers in Belk milled around Christmas decorations, comparing prices and stocking up on ornaments for next year’s trees. Shelves of red and gold decorations were displayed beneath signs advertising markdowns.
Jackie Turner of Bassett combed through boxes of sparkling ornaments. She hung the ones she liked on one arm and used the other arm to continue searching.
Turner said she was just beginning her after-Christmas shopping. She was pleased with all of the bargains and selection of ornaments, she said.
Shoppers in Sears gathered in the electronics section, where employees helped bargain hunters choose from a variety of heavily discounted TVs and appliances.
Roses Manager Brenda Patterson said many people came to Roses for after-Christmas sales on Saturday. Clothes and toys were popular, she said.
But the most popular items at Roses were the Christmas decorations and supplies, Patterson said. Ornaments and decorative bags used to hold presents flew off the shelves, she added.
Families walked around Liberty Fair Mall holding three or four rolls of wrapping paper each. At Walmart, rows of half-priced wrapping paper rolls were picked through by those coming in the door or waiting in line.
Walmart’s entire garden section was filled with clearance Christmas supplies. There also were crowds lining a single aisle in the grocery section where discounted Christmas candy was being sold.
At Kmart, after-Christmas sales included storage containers of all sizes.
Kmart employee Jeff Spaugh said the store was crowded Saturday, and many shoppers bought discounted electronics and video games with the Kmart gift cards they received Friday. Many also purchased faux Christmas trees, but he said the storage containers were the biggest seller.
Spaugh, who also works in the layaway department, said the winter storm impacted Kmart’s layaway sales temporarily. The last date to make payments on items put away originally was Dec. 18, but due to the snow storm last weekend, that date was extended to Dec. 22, he said. Any items unclaimed by that time were put back on the shelves, where they became available to last-minute shoppers or those bargain hunting on Saturday. |
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