Evening star., 1953-12-04
New York Shopping
Snaps Back After Lu|I
During News Strike
BY the Assoeioted Press

NEW YORK, Dec. 4.-The
city'S big department stores,
hard hit by the newspaper strike
at the opening of the Christmas
shopping season, took heart to-
day after a brisk business last
night.
Their hope was that long-bred
shopping habits would reaSsert
themselves even though shoppers
had no advertising to guide them
to the sales.
Whatever the effect on busi-
ness, the news dimout continued
unabated. New Workers hadn't
seen a single one of their seven
major daily papers since Mon
day.
Radio and TV Do Best.
Radio and TV tried hard, but
could do no more than let a
little small light into the news
darkness.
Job seekers and home hunters
had no want ads to guide them,
except in suburban newspapers.
Financial houses took emer-
gency measures to keep the pub
lie abreast of Wall Street. Bache
& Co. and several others took
radio time to quote prices dur
ing the day, and the stock ex-
change itself published list of
closing prices every afternoon.
Financial newspapers have not
been hit by the strike.
Racing Fans Have to Scramble.
Racing fans were left to
scrounge for results, although
the track season is currently at
ebb tide. The Morning Tele-
graph, racing and entertainment
newspaper, was not affected by
the strike and took to printing
a news and financial summary.
In the first days of the week
shoppers stayed home in droves.
The crowds surging through
aisles bright with holiday tinsel
last night brought eXclamations
of pleased surprise from store
personnel.
Some frankly admitted they
hadn't expected it.
We're doing just fine" said
a buyer at Macy'S.
Gift Items Moving.
Down in the Herald Square
area, where Macy's, Gimbels and
other well-known stores hold
sway, ready to wear suits,
dresses and the like-was not do
ing too well, but items suitable
for gift-giving were moving at
q better clip.
Shopping traffic in other big
retail sections also seemed to be
picking up.
Newsstands around the town
reported a heavy run on weekly
newS-magaZines, crossword puz-
zles and comic books. One ven-
dor remarked that people are
buying practically anything with
reading matter.
Press Agents Frustrated.
In Times Square, at news
stand normally loaded with out
of-town papers, there were only
five or six left, mostly dated is
sues from remote cities.
Normally bustling news rooms
Of New York papers were manned
only by a few executives, except
at the Herald Tribune. e.@ %'3 "
Although not involved in the
dispute, the Tribune has not ap-
peared since Monday. It has
kept going through the motions
OF putting out a paper, however,
to be ready to resume at mo-
ment's notice.
Press agents probably were
New York's most frustrated citi-
ZenS.
District newspapers helped fill
the news void for suburanites
and some others, but these pa
perS were not geared to replace
512 million copies of the big
dailieS.
Theater Business Holds Up.
Most theaters reported they
were not yet hurt by the lack
of newspapers. Top Broadway
shows mostly are sold out months
in advance.
Many movie houses were chary
with attendance figures but said
that in general attendance was
normal. Many people phoned
theaterS to find out what was
playing.
From night clubs came re-
ports of business as usual. Many
do not normally rely on news
paper ads, and the big ones are
widely known, locally and out
of town.