Region’s retailers gear up for next surge
Huge crowds expected with shoppers looking for big sales for weekend after Christmas.
Many local shopping malls and retailers are expanding their hours Saturday to welcome post-holiday shoppers brandishing freshly loaded gift cards or returning gifts.
The Dayton Mall is among several retail centers in the region that will open earlier on Saturday — 8 a.m. instead of the regular 10 a.m. And some department and anchor stores will push their opening time back even further to 6 a.m., according to David Duebber, the Dayton Mall’s general manager.
“We anticipate huge crowds on Saturday and into early next week,” Duebber said. The mall has no special events planned for Saturday — “It’s just all about shopping,” he said.
“The week after Christmas continues to be a very strong week, not only for returns and exchanges, but also for after-Christmas sales, yearend clearance, and more,” Duebber said.
“People who receive gift cards or cash are looking to buy those things they may not have received for Christmas, or they are looking for good deals.”
A consumer survey conducted earlier this month on behalf of the National Retail Federation showed that two out of three holiday shoppers said they plan to shop retailers’ after-Christmas sales, with nearly half of shoppers heading to the stores, 43 percent planning to shop online, and some doing both.
The Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek — like the Dayton Mall, with which it shares corporate ownership — will extend its Saturday hours to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., then return to normal Sunday hours of noon to 6 p.m. the following day, according to the Fairfield Commons mall’s marketing director, Kristie Miller. “We should be very busy, since most people will be off work on a Saturday,” Miller said.
The Cincinnati Premium Outlets in Monroe will extend its post-Christmas hours each day from Saturday through Wednesday, Dec. 30, for what the retail center is calling its After-Holiday Sale, which “will give shoppers who are looking to make exchanges or spend gift card money the opportunity to find deals beyond the center’s everyday savings of 25 to 65 percent,” said outlets spokeswoman Alaina Norbeck. Hours will be 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Norbeck said.
The Upper Valley Mall in Springfield will open early Saturday at 8 a.m. and remain open until 9 p.m. “Traffic for the day after Christmas is typically the heaviest,” said the mall’s spokeswoman, Brenda Labonte. Sunday’s business is expected to be closer to normal, so hours will return to noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Labonte said.
The Miami Valley Centre Mall in Piqua will extend hours on Saturday to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., then resume regular hours on Sunday, when it will open at noon and close at 6 p.m., according to spokeswoman Peggy Henthorn.
The Greene Town Center in Beavercreek is not extending its hours after Christmas — it will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, a spokeswoman for the center said.
Retailers expect that gift cards will drive a significant portion of Saturday’s customer traffic, since the cards were expected to be the most popular holiday gift this year for the ninth consecutive year.
The NRF asked consumers this year about their shopping intentions should they receive a gift card. The survey found most would likely watch for really good sales or promotions to maximize the value of their gift card (42 percent), while others said they will use their gift card as quickly as they can (about 20 percent). Another 19 percent said they would save their gift card for a rainy day or sometime when they feel the need to treat themselves.
Consumer-rights advocates suggest using gift cards quickly, in part because cards can sit unused in wallets or on desks, in some cases losing their value.
The Dayton Better Business Bureau has recommended registering gift cards through the stores’ web sites, if such a service is available, because that allows consumers to check balances and to get newcards if the cards are lost. And the BBB says using cards relatively quickly can avoid store closings or retailer bankruptcies.
Shoppers also will come to stores this weekend armed with gifts they are seeking to return or exchange. The Dayton BBB has offered the following advice:
Whenever possible, bring receipts. Some stores allow an exchange without a receipt, but shoppers will likely get the lowest advertised price.
Some stores offer only store credit or exchanges for a gift return, and the return policies for sale or clearance items may be different from items purchased at full price.
For online purchases, some stores will offer free shipping for exchanges, but not for returns for refund. Find out if merchandise can be returned to a local bricks-and-mortar store or whether it must be shipped back.