Fast Finish

After one of the slowest starts in years, Christmas retail sales last week finished a surprising 4% ahead of record 1957. In Chicago subzero weather held December sales well below last year almost up to the final week. Then the weather and the customers' sales resistance thawed out together. Vice President J. Chalmers O'Brien of the Loop's 104-year-old Carson Pirie Scott reported that the Monday before Christmas, sales were the highest for any shopping day ever, and "by quite a margin." Near the North Shore, the Old Orchard shopping center said that its tenant Marshall Field "had terrific 1957 figures to beat this year, but they did it."

Los Angeles, which got off fairly well after Thanksgiving, then had a bad slump when mid-December turned unseasonably hot, finally got a bit of brisk weather. Shoppers surged into the stores in such numbers that some places reported sales 10% above 1957. What made merchants everywhere particularly happy was that buyers headed for the expensive goods. Said Cyril Magnin of San Francisco's Joseph Magnin: "All the higher-priced lines in everything did very well." Philadelphia reported a year-end run on jewelry and furs. Said Max Robb, president of the City Stores chain: The customers of all income groups "traded up." i.e., bought items in a higher price class than last year.

Some soft spots remained. Detroit, with a Chrysler strike piled on top of layoffs, about held its own with 1957 sales. The spots were more than offset. Atlanta registered sales 4% above 1957 (which merchants said was "incredible." because 1957 was 8% better than 1956). The biggest surprise of all was in New York. With the nine major newspapers shut down by a strike (see PRESS), department stores lost some mail- and phone-order business, and total sales were below anticipation, but they set new records. Said one top store executive: "It was wonderful."

Stores turned to the January white sales and seasonal clearances with inventories lower and spirits higher than in years. The brightest post-Christmas promotion was put on by Dallas' A. Harris & Co. For one day, it announced it would take back any "Christmas gift which doesn't fit, which is the wrong size or pattern or color, which is simply not wanted, or which duplicates another Christmas gift." For the first time ever, the offer was not restricted to Harris' own merchandise. Except for furs, real jewelry and merchandise not carried in its own store, Harris said it would exchange goods from its "competitors, other stores in Texas or Alaska, or for that matter anywhere in the U.S. or in the world." If a gift is pure junk, the store said it would still pay the recipient $1, donate the gift to the Salvation Army.

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