Deborah Feyerick: Christmas Eve shoppers crowd New Jersey mall

Deborah Feyerick enjoys a jolly laugh with Santa

CNN Correspondent Deborah Feyerick spent Christmas Eve at the Jersey Gardens Outlet Mall, in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Q : Did you get any sense that shoppers were anxious about the economy and adjusting their spending accordingly?

Feyerick : We were at the Jersey Gardens Outlet Mall in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and the place was packed. Many shoppers said they came to save money, but they didn't seem to have an overriding concern about the economy. They were looking for bargains: high-quality, low-priced merchandise.

Q : Did you see any dramatic markdowns or promotions that make this Christmas Eve stand out from past years?

Feyerick : We saw many markdowns that were as high as 40 percent. In some cases, shoppers were receiving discounts on already-reduced merchandise. There have been many reports that stores were offering their markdowns before the Christmas holidays, not afterwards, as is usually the case. It seems that retailers were hoping to draw a surge of sales this weekend.

Q : What's the feeling among retailers about how well they did in terms of sales?

Feyerick : At Jersey Gardens, the marketing director said several store owners had to reorder merchandise on Thursday and Friday. They had begun running out of stock the week before Christmas.

Q : Do you anticipate that post-Christmas sales will offer even better bargains that are being offered right now?

Feyerick : Traditionally, stores offer their biggest markdowns immediately after Christmas, but because retailers made such an effort this year to reduce prices prior to Christmas, there is no indication how much lower they will go.

Q : What kinds of retailers were doing the best and which were doing the worst in terms of sales?

Feyerick : Preliminary indications are that strong sales were being generated by electronics. There is still a question as to how well luxury items have done.

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