Last Holiday Shopping Weekend Keeps Retailers Edgy

Holiday shoppers make their way through the Northshore Mall, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008 in Peabody,...

Holiday shoppers make their way through the Northshore Mall, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008 in Peabody, Mass. The deals were there and, by most accounts, so were the shoppers. But at the close of the final holiday shopping weekend, consumers confessed they were still nervous about buying.

(Lisa Poole/AP Photo)
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The deals were there and, by most accounts, so were the shoppers. But at the close of the final holiday shopping weekend, consumers confessed they were still nervous about buying.

"This is going to be a poor Christmas," said Dee Dobbins, a 31-year-old from Goldsboro, N.C., who finished her holiday shopping with money she'd received from her recent graduation from North Carolina State University. "At least I had it, because I don't know what I would have done."

From flagship department stores to main street shops, consumers found packed parking lots, massive markdowns and extended hours — in some places, around-the-clock shopping — as merchants hope to salvage one of the worst shopping seasons in decades, brought on by the recession and growing economic uncertainty.

For those willing to spend, the deals abounded.

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In Miami, Ana Solis bought T-shirts from the Disney Store featuring Kermit the Frog and Tigger. One shirt — original price $24.99 — was marked down to $7.99 before another 40 percent discount.

At the flagship Macy's store on 34th Street in New York, shoppers swarmed racks offering 65 percent off women's clothing. Elsewhere, the store was offering 50 percent off handbags by designers such as Dooney & Bourke and Coach and 40 percent off gold earrings.

Chris Moscardelli snagged a cashmere blanket for more than half off.

"It's been a great day," the 38-year-old said.

But not for Ahmad Parpia, the store manager of Marquise Jewelers inside Dallas' Valley View Mall, who's seen his most profitable period of the year fizzle out. Few shoppers are coming inside the jeweler's four stores to buy diamond-encrusted chains, gold watches and jewelry, despite signs advertising: "Financing available up to $10,000. Will beat any competitive price."

"It's almost like 80 percent down over the last two years," he said. "I've never seen before a Christmas like that, and I've been in this business almost 15 years."