After Christmas sales give customers another price break and retailers another chance to finish 2021 strong
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The end of the year price breaks could have double benefits.
Customers will continue to see enticing discounts and retailers will bring in more business.
It is still left to be seen what the profit margins will be with discounted items on the shelves and returns coming back from gift recipients who would rather have another item or credit.
Various economic reports, including the National Retail Federation numbers show overall this holiday season will be strong for retailers and for the economy overall.
Sales are estimated to be up 4-8 percent from last year.
Sunday in the State Street promenade in Santa Barbara was bustling with shoppers.
Monday with the rain it was quiet.
Overall this is expected to be a busy week for buyers and a time when stores want to clear anything that is overstocked.
Deals on holiday decorations drop to 50-90 percent off.
Holiday clothing is often also deeply discounted.
Seasonal items such as holiday candy is generally discounted several times until it is gone.
Among the electronic items that might be a better buy in 2022 is a new flat screen TV. They are usually discounted at the end of January in time for the Super Bowl.
Shopper Zoe Britton was walking in and out of stores in downtown Santa Barbara. She is from Northern California and said, "we were just in a shop earlier and they had like multiple racks at 70 percent off which for this area it was like really?"
Carrying gift cards and looking to maximize her values, Lizzy Lewis from Bueltton said, "I got like one from Brandy Melville one from Victoria Secret and one from Lululemon." She was holding a bag and going for more.
Some shoppers said if they price cut was 40 percent or more it was more likely to get them inside the doors or a store.
One jewelry retailer saw it differently when checking on other businesses nearby. She thought the inventory load may have been less this year, and the clearance items were gone, or going, much quicker.
