Shopping Activity Heats Up Amid Cold Snap

Chilly weather on the weekend before Christmas seems to have put Ventura County shoppers in the seasonal spirit, as local residents filled malls and parking lots Sunday in a gift-buying binge.

Analysts nationwide have said holiday sales lagged forecasts until this weekend and that unseasonably warm weather had hurt sales of cold-weather clothes.

“It seems like everybody has been getting a slow start on Christmas shopping,” confirmed Sandy Williams of Oxnard, manager of Alex’s Jewelry, a booth at Camarillo’s Premium Outlet stores. “It’s just started picking up.”

Procrastinating shoppers--or those looking for 11th-hour discounts--have been buying gifts closer to the holidays in recent years, analysts said.

Last year, more than half of holiday sales came in the last two weeks of December, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

But some retail experts have lowered their sales forecasts slightly because of the season’s slow beginning. Strong sales this week and during post-Christmas sales are needed to put merchants on track to meet forecasts, analysts said.

“Retailers are really banking on a hectic, last-minute rush,” said Jim Roberts, marketing director for a company that manages malls across the nation.

Indeed, Bruce Newman, 49, of Camarillo was among those shoppers who made their first foray into stores this past weekend.

In a mere 90 minutes, the printing company owner said he had rounded up almost all the gifts he needed this year, even though several stores at the Camarillo outlet mall had sold out of sweaters because of the cold snap.

“You find out what you need and then you go do it,” he said of his single-minded strategy. “I love to shop.”

At the other end of the spectrum was Karen Van Hoepen of Agoura Hills, who also had delayed her Christmas shopping until this weekend.

On Sunday after her second straight day of shopping at The Oaks in Thousand Oaks, she took a break from purchasing the 10 gifts on her holiday list to survey the clogged mall with a hot cup of coffee.

“I hate shopping,” Van Hoepen said. “I hate all these crowds.”

Clad in reindeer ears and a blinking red nose, Brad Wells of Simi Valley was doing his part to offer a seasonal antidote for weary shoppers like Van Hoepen.

“They take a look at me and they’re in better spirits,” he said.

Shoppers needed all the morale-boosting they could find Sunday, as motorists circled for a rare empty parking space with the hopefulness of a child seeking a glimpse of Santa on Christmas Eve.

“This is crazy,” said Camarillo mall security guard Carl Richardson Sr. as he watched the maddening crowd. “It’s got to be the busiest I can remember.”

A buoyant local economy seemed to be behind the abundance of holiday cheer, with several shoppers saying they intended to spend more than last year.

“I feel comfortable to spend more,” said accountant Astrid Kaiser, 32, of Santa Barbara. “I’m doing so well [at work].”

As Kaiser browsed the mall for gifts, her husband was at home doing Christmas shopping of his own--on the Internet.

“It’s the first time he’s done that--he just couldn’t face going to the mall,” Kaiser said.

One market research firm estimated that Internet holiday sales would triple this year to about $2.55 billion.

And then there are those fortunate few who have all but completed their shopping.

Elizabeth Faye of Simi Valley was at The Oaks with her 5-year-old daughter Sarah, not to wander department store aisles, but to catch a movie.

“I’m at the mall and I have no shopping to do,” Faye said. “It’s kind of weird.”

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Bloomberg News contributed to this story.