After-Christmas shopping going strong despite snowy weather
Layton — Christmas may be over, but that doesn’t mean shoppers have quit buying gifts for the holidays. Thanks to a certain popular gift, crowds of people still have Christmas shopping to do, and stores all over the Top of Utah are benefiting.
“The stores seem to be attracting people who are spending gift cards that they received for Christmas,” said Brent Parkin, senior general manager at Newgate Mall. “We’re seeing a lot of gift cards being redeemed.”
From nationwide chain stores to local retail shops, gift cards are getting people back into the shopping mode. Retailers say that most of the time, people redeeming their gift cards buy items that cost more than the balance of the gift card. Because of that, stores sell more than they would have without the gift card being bought in the first place. Gift cards also produce more sales just by getting people to enter the stores when they would not have done so without the gift card.
“We get a lot of people in after holidays, because grandmas and moms come here and say go nuts after Christmas,” said Rachael Williams, manager of HeeBeeGeeBeez.
The comics and games store has locations in Layton and Ogden and Williams said her type of store is one that usually does better after Christmas than before, because parents have a difficult time picking the gift that their children want. She said providing a gift registry helps shoppers pick out the right gifts for those they are shopping for, but gift cards have been a great way to make sure people get what they want.
