Christmas shoppers

When is the final Saturday before Christmas? Don’t bother consulting a calendar if you’re shopping at Macy’s, Sears or J. C. Penney.


They’ve moved it forward a week.


A sharp drop in shopping since Thanksgiving weekend has prompted worried retailers to slash prices, extend specials, stay open later — and rewrite the calendar.


Usually one of the most heavily discounted shopping days of the year, the Saturday before Christmas — it falls on Dec. 24 this year — is too crucial to retailers’ holiday sales to be left in the hands of procrastinating Christmas Eve shoppers. Instead, many of the promotions pegged to “Super Saturday,” as the day is known in the retail industry, are now scheduled for this Saturday — a full eight days before Christmas.


“If you wait until the 24th, you have no time to recover,” said Michael McNamara, vice president of research and analysis for MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, which tracks consumer spending.


But not all stores are making the switch. And that is creating a good amount of confusion in the retail world.


Patty Obma, 60, of Green Bay, stopped at Bayshore to pick up a few things on her way to the airport to pick up her son who is flying in from Los Angeles for the holiday.


"I'm not a huge shopper," she said, adding that her four grown children are getting special, framed family heirloom pictures for Christmas. But there are two young grandchildren who will get toy trucks and hockey things, she said.


"I'm just happy the kids will be home," she said. She said she especially enjoys Bayshore because it's not all enclosed. "I like the outside. It reminds me of the olden days when people walked down the street and greeted each other. People seem happy. I love it."


Scott Phillips, 36, who is an assistant railroad conductor, said he had only one more gift to get for a relative who likes gadgets.


So far, he said he's made three shopping excursions around town. "I bought a limited amount of gifts. Actually, I bought too much for myself," he laughed.


Although the economy hasn't directly impacted him, he said he's cut back as a way to simplify. "I bought my nephews (ages 7 and 9) puzzles," he said poking into his shopping bag. "They're simple. But they stand the test of time."


Jing Chen, 34, and Quan Lu, 36, are experiencing their first Milwaukee Christmas. They said they were buying sweaters, gloves and practical items. The two information science researchers are visiting from China.


"This is our first winter, and it's very cold," said Chen, who was bundled up.


Rebecca Hammerlund, 43, and her son, Quinn, 7, of Fox Point were shopping for new boots for Quinn. Hammerlund said she stashes away things for her three children during the year. And grandparents and other family members also give them gifts. "It gets to be a lot," she said.


Quinn said he want rocks in a box and cinnamon balls for Christmas. His brother, who is 4, said he just wants one thing: Gum that he can chew when he wants.