Malls, stores step up efforts to keep patrons coming in
New programs aim to cut long waits, help on occupancy limits
Deals rolled out before Halloween; hand sanitizer strewn around malls; shipping delays because of a crush of online orders; socially distanced photos with Santa: The holiday shopping season looks a little different this year.
“We are just replenishing our hand sanitizer as quickly as possible,” said Brenda Crawford, senior general manager at North Star Mall. “We are cleaning as fast as you can throughout the day.”
Despite the turmoil caused by the pandemic, the National Retail Federation forecasts that sales will rise between 3.6 and 5.2 percent in November and December, compared with the same period in 2019, totaling as much as $766.7 billion.
“After all they’ve been through, we think there’s going to be a psychological factor that they owe it to themselves
and their families to have a betterthan-normal holiday,” NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz said, referring to consumers. “There are risks to the economy if the virus continues to spread, but as long as consumers remain confident and upbeat, they will spend for the holiday season.”
To help those consumers heading out, mall owners and retailers are offering new programs to help patrons avoid lengthy waits while helping stores maintain occupancy limits.
At North Star and the Shops at La Cantera, which are both managed by Brookfield Properties, customers can scan a code at the front of participating shops. They then choose a time to shop and receive a text with confirmation through a program called Spot Holder.
“It’s a way to make it more efficient for everybody,” Crawford said.
Families wanting to take photos with Santa at both malls can make reservations online for socially distanced photos or book virtual visits with him. The number of slots dedicated to curbside pickup also has been expanded.
“I feel very optimistic,” Crawford said of expectations for foot traffic during the last days leading up to Christmas.
It’s been a tough year for retailers, marked by lost sales and a slew of bankruptcies. The pandemic continues to widen the gap between companies profiting from the surge in online shopping and able to fill orders quickly and businesses struggling to shift to e-commerce and with fewer resources.
Deals started rolling out this fall, and many customers began their shopping early. Seeking to minimize crowds and stretch out sales, a string of retailers kicked off discounts after Amazon pushed its annual Prime Day to October.
Some malls and stores, includ
ing North Star and La Cantera, were also closed on Thanksgiving because of the pandemic.
Fifty-nine percent of shoppers had started their gift buying by early November, up 21 percent from a decade ago, a survey by the NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics shows.
But there are still plenty of shoppers heading out to stores to pick up gifts. Over 150 million U.S. consumers expected to shop online or in person on the last Saturday before Christmas, up from 147.8 million last year, a separate survey by the organizations indicates.
NRF’s Kleinhenz pointed to “strong balance sheets supported by a strong stock market,” savings bolstered by stimulus checks, growth in home values, jobs and wages, low energy costs and “reduced spending on personal ser
vices, travel and entertainment.” That has “freed up money for retail spending.”
Clothing sales have suffered during the pandemic, while technology, home improvement and pet supply purchases are exploding, said Venky Shankar, director of research at the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M University.
Spending on experiences, such as going to see a movie, “has been curbed,” he said.
Online shopping was already growing, but the pandemic is turbocharging the trend.
Adobe Analytics predicts a surge in online sales, forecasting spending will jump 30 percent year over year to $184 billion. As of Dec. 10, shoppers had shelled out $136 billion so far this season, it estimates.
Shipping companies are handling an influx of packages, and shoppers should prepare accordingly, Shankar said. Retailers also expect to be dealing with a glut of returns after the holidays.
“If you want to make it before Christmas, expect (shipping) delays,” he said.
At Feliz Modern, online sales have risen from about10 percent of business pre-pandemic to about 30 percent, owner Ginger Diaz said.
That means an uptick in curbside pickup and shipped orders. The business had 13 employees and contractors before COVID-19 and now has 20. The equivalent of four full-time workers have been dedicated to handling online purchases, Diaz said.
Matching the national trend, her customers started their shopping earlier, potentially in part because they anticipated shipping delays. There was a spike after Thanksgiving in 2019, Diaz said, but this year shoppers kicked off their gift hunting in late October.
“People know they have to plan ahead,” she said.
Still, shoppers continue to trickle in to Feliz Modern’s stores at the Pearl and in Olmos Park in the final stretch before Christmas. Some customers are visiting on weekdays to avoid crowds on the weekends, and employees are monitoring occupancy.
“We never thought we would have a door person,” Diaz said.
San Antonio Plastic Bricks, which buys, sells and trades Legos, relies on drive-by shoppers and walk-ins at its Olmos Park store. Sales and walk-ins this year are down about 50 to 60 percent, but shoppers are waiting until the last few weeks before Christmas to snag gifts, owner Ron Luvisi said.
“They didn’t start early this year,” he said of his customer base. “The last three or four weeks — even this week has been a good week. When I say ‘a good week,’ that’s with an asterisk — (a) good week for a COVID year.”
The business also puts on birthday parties, team-building programming and camps, events that have dropped off during the pandemic. Two camps are planned before the end of the month with limited occupancy, Luvisi said.
Amazon’s popularity is another thorn. It’s not new but has “worsened during the pandemic because they’re just so easy and it’s just so convenient,” Luvisi said. “I understand it.”
Despite the difficulties this year, he’s not complaining. Devoted customers and a small loan have helped sustain San Antonio Plastic Bricks during the pandemic.
“We’re lucky that we’ve got a very loyal following,” Luvisi said. “We’re grateful for people coming back.”