Armed with her bonus, Linda Betz of Parkville headed to Target at 8 a.m. yesterday for Christmas items at a discount. She emerged two hours later, pushing a cart brimming with decorations, wrapping paper, a stuffed snowman and holiday-themed gifts - for next year.
"You can get some good deals for next holiday," said Betz, who works in the service department at Bob Davidson Ford. Because of the sales, "I spent about $100. It would have cost a couple hundred."
She and her daughter, a PriceWaterhouseCoopers auditor, were going from Towson to Hecht's in White Marsh to shop "until the money runs out," Betz said, glancing at her daughter. "She makes sure I'm spending my money wisely."
Spending wisely - or when the goods go on sale - became the mantra of the American consumer this holiday season. And yesterday, the bargain hunting continued, as post-Christmas sales of up to 75 percent lured shoppers back to malls and shopping centers. Macy's, Hecht's and Lord & Taylor opened at 7 a.m., cutting prices as much as 75 percent. Arundel Mills mall in Anne Arundel County opened two hours early, at 8 a.m.
Shoppers "had sales circulars in their hands and knew what they were coming to purchase," said Gene Condon, the mall's general manager.
Retailers are looking to the next few days to try to rescue a weak holiday selling season, which could bring the meekest sales gain in three decades. Sales in November and December at stores open at least a year are expected to grow just 1.5 percent over last year, the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi predicts.
"Retailers will try to ram enough volume in this one week [after Christmas] to make up for the lack of sales during the Christmas shopping season," said Britt Beemer, chairman and founder of the Charleston, S.C.-based America's Research Group. "They could make up some ground."
Even if they do, "retailers are in clearance mode at this point," said Michael Baker, director of research for the International Council of Shopping Centers. "You're going to mark down [merchandise] whatever it takes to move it. So whatever sales you do make will be at lower margins."
Some shoppers yesterday said they planned to spend the cash they had gotten from Christmas gifts or bonuses. Others used a day off from work to return or exchange merchandise or just buy for themselves. Several shoppers were surprised by the lack of crowds and short waits in line.
David Dolney, owner of a construction company in Charlotte, N.C., who was visiting his sons, David, 7, and Jakob, 5, in Towson, brought the boys to Toys 'R' Us to buy some things they didn't get for Christmas: two boomboxes, a ball and some candy.
Malcolm Davis, owner of No Limit Automotive shop, would have avoided the stores altogether on his day off but needed to exchange a damaged bicycle he'd bought for his 6-year-old daughter.
Otherwise, "I'd have been home sleeping," said Davis, on his way out of Toys 'R' Us.
Barbara Williams, a program analyst for Social Security in Woodlawn, said she always goes shopping the day after Christmas.
"You don't feel so pressured," said Williams, shopping in Target. "I can focus on what I want. I'm buying more [this year] because of the sales."
Kristin Gerkens, however, was disappointed in the prices.
"There are not any deals on the toys," said Gerkens, 23, of Towson, who bought toys anyway for four children she baby-sits.
Last year, the week after Christmas accounted for nearly 11 percent of December sales at mall stores, the ICSC said. This year, retailers may try to do even more business in the final week of the month, experts said.
Yesterday, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. lowered its forecast for December sales to an increase of 2 percent to 3 percent. Federated Department Stores Inc., the owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's, had said it appears that same-store sales for November and December will be down by more than 2.5 percent.
Online sales have fared better this year, rising 29 percent to $12.6 billion from Nov. 1 through Dec. 20, said comScore Networks Inc., a Reston, Va., company that tracks online retail.
"At some level, I think that's the result of several years of on-time delivery and easy transactions at the online stores," said Ken Seiff, chief executive officer of Bluefly Inc., a New York-based online retailer that continues to show strong year-over-year growth.
Shoppers placed more orders at Bluefly.com over a longer period of time, Seiff said. Traditional gifts - leather jackets, cashmere sweaters, ties, hats, gloves and scarves - were especially hot, Seiff said.
"We also saw an interesting effect of more consumers buying more products for themselves," Seiff said.
Sun staff writer Stacey Hirsh contributed to this article.