Dec 22, 2008 10:56 am US/Eastern
Bitter Winter Blast Puts Big Chill In Retail Sales
Stores Across Tri-State Trying To Entice Shoppers To Spend
Monday Starts With Blustery, Sub-Zero Wind Chill Conditions
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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If this isn't a picture of Christmas, we here at wcbstv.com don't know what is. Thanks to Bob and Patty Seekamp of Middletown, N.Y., for this one.
Photo courtesy/Bob & Patty Seekamp
The bitter blast of freezing weather may leave many retailers out in the cold this holiday season.
With Hanukah already here and Christmas just a few days away, some stores are staying open around the clock to try to heat up sales. But will the gusty winds and frigid weather keep shoppers away?
With temperatures falling and Tri-state streets turning into sheets of ice, what had been a dismal holiday shopping season is only getting worse.
New York City woke to blustery conditions on Monday, with the wind chill factor making it feel like -10 degrees, especially near the Hudson River, where the gusty winds whip off the water's surface. The gusty, dangerous winter blast is having an effect on everyone, most notably retailers across the city.
"Shoppers just aren't daring to face the elements as freely as they would in otherwise normal conditions," said CBS 2's Elise Finch.
Cars were spinning out of control in Westchester Sunday night, as the once slushy snow turned to ice, making it close to impossible for some holiday shoppers to get to the malls.
The same was true in New Jersey, where plows were busy clearing the parking lots in Paramus to lure holiday shoppers in.
But an estimated five percent fewer shoppers hit the stores this weekend compared with the same time last year, and two out of five shoppers say they are spending less this holiday season compared to last year, which is bad news for retailers. The past weekend usually accounts for ten percent of their year's take:
"For some of them, it will be a struggle to survive. It is just going to affect profits," said National Retail Fed Mike Gatti.
That's why in this final push to Christmas, several stores are open 24 hours, like Toys' R Us in Times Square, Macy's Wal-Mart and some H & M stores.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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