Evening star., 1954-12-16
Stores Expect
New Peak in
Holiday Sales
Survey Of 90 Cities
Lists District Among
81 Having Top Year

81 Having Top Year
The Christmas retail business
throughout the country is def
nitely better than q year ago.
a survey showed today, and
Washington merchants are ex-
pecting a last-minute shopping
squirt to push sales over the top
mark set in 1852.
Ninety cities were surveyed by
the Associated Press, which re-
ported that 60 of those checked
had better December sales than
a year ago. Sixteen reported busi-
ness about on par with a year
ago. and only six reported a de-
cline.
AS for Washington. Philip M.
Talbot. chairman of the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers AS
sociation large store group and
senior vice president of Wood
ward g. Lothrop's, said that to-
day is expected to be the biggest
in retail history here.
Yesterday. Mr.. Talbot said.
indications were that Washing.
tons retail sales for the Christ
mas season were at just about
the same level as this time last
year. But. he added, the last
minute rush from now to Christ.
mas is expected to push sales
above the 1852 all-time record.
The AP reported that cash
registers are hammering home q
theme economists have been re-
peating for months: Business
and industry are out of the recess
sion woods and going to town.
A Commerce Department spot
check of IS cities last week in
dicated an average increase Of 5
per cent in Yule business this
year over last.
Many Above Average.
That could turn out to be the
national increase, but stores in
many communities are exceeding
that rate by substantial margins.
the AP survey shows.
Allied Stores Corp, the Ma
tion's biggest department store
chain, anticipates a l6 per cent
increase.
Sears Roebuck reports its ma
tional mail order and retail store
business exceptionally strong and
running well ahead" Of 1858
Christmas totals.
Last year there were "a shop
ping days in the period between
Thanksgiving and Christmas:
this year there are Is. The ex-
ira day is q personal gift from
Santa to merchants.
| Public Confident.
The key factor in getting the
years biggest selling season of
to a booming start unquestion-
ably is a return Of public con-
fidence.
National employment Is near
ing peacetime highs. The stock
market is up. Construction Is
booming. Christmas club saw
ings poured out a record $1.080..
100000 to nearly 12A million
members.
Weather, of course, can make
or break a shopping season. A
cold snap spurs demand for
overcoats, furs and winter lines,
but a blizzard SHOWS in potential
shoppers at home.
Oklahoma City sales are UP 8
to 10 per cent over a year ago.
Aggressive promotion, including
heavy newspaper advertising and
a $1,000 prize given every week
to a downtown shopper are pri-
mary reasons, says the Okla.
homa City Retail Merchants AS.
sociation.
Suburban Competition.
In the big metropolitan CEN
ters. particularly New York. Chi
cago, Detroit. st. Louis and San
Francisco, downtown stores are
getting stiff competition from
suburban shopping centers.
Many new suburban stores are
cutting drastically into sales of
traditional markets.
Price cutting, particularly on
big ticket items like refrigerators,
stoves and laundry items. is wide
spread near big cities where dis.
count houses are clustered.
Television sets are still strong
item but stores in many cities,
where TV is several years old,
note a saturation point. Port
land. Greg, reports TV set sales
down 80 per cent from q year
ago In Salt Lake City where TV
sales slumped. a survey by the
University of Utah showed 90
per cent Of the homes in Sale
Lake Valley equipped with Tv
sets.
Wesley Williams, executive Sec
retary Of the Raleigh IN. c.
Merchants Bureau. reports soft
lines moving faster than the
hard, big ticket items. People
have their refrigerators and as-
tomato washers" he said. but
you can't saturate the clothing
field"
Fashions Among Leaders.
Fashions are among the
traditional Christmas shopping
leaders. Many merchants credit
the new look" In women's
modes and charcoal tones In
mems wear for boosting cloth
ing sales anywhere from to
10 per cent above q year ago.
Women's sportswear. espe.
cially nylon and orion sweaters,
are selling well from Coast to
Coast. Furs are fayorite item,
too, now that exise taxes have