Merrick Mirrors National Shopping Trends

Black Friday?  Paint it red.  Along with Saturday, Sunday and all the rest.

Echoing what's going on at stores beyond its borders, it appears as if you won't have to deal with much of a shopping rush in Merrick this holiday season.

Along Merrick Avenue, the shops are quiet - those that are still open, that is.

"From last year we lost about 12 businesses on the street, and across the street, the man's been here 15 years, he said he's never seen it so slow," said Deborah Malone, owner of Worth Repeating Too, a local boutique consignment. "The man down the street's been here 20 years, he's never seen it so slow, ever."

Slow. Dead.  Those are the words Malone uses to describe business in her store.

She said folks are actually relying on her to help them with their holiday budget.  She buys items in top condition, and gives the seller half of what she eventually resells it for. 

The problem is that more items are coming in than going out.  Malone said she's reduced items such as clothing and jewelry to as low as five dollars...and customers still want them for less.  She believes the town needs to do more to get shoppers back in the stores.

"We need something to make people excited about coming out," Malone said, "like closing the street out to shopping, so there's no traffic, people could walk...and get out of their house."

As for the shoppers themselves, they said they are tightening the ol' purse strings.

Todd Leibowitz, of Bellmore, said he's on the look out for bargains, and that will lead him to the large discount chains such as Target or Walmart.

"Everybody's going to their jobs, I want to make sure I still have mine, I don't want to spend money I have to save," Leibowitz said.

According to Performics, a peformance marketing solution provider, 60 percent of those they surveyed said they planned to spend less this year. 

Shoppers are striking names from their list, with the study showing that friends and co-workers, specifically, may find their stockings a bit lighter than in years past.

One factor not accounted for in the survey, but important in at least one local business - loyalty.

Luanne, who declined to give her last name, has been operating the Merrick Avenue gift shop that bears her name for five years, and said holiday business thus far has been consistent with that of previous years.

"We deal with local residents that are very loyal to us and we are to them," she said. "We just have a good customer base."  She cites keeping her merchandise up to date for her repeat customers as a key reason business has remained stable.

"Treat the customers good, and they'll treat you right back," she said.

Shoppers filling the streets of Merrick once more.  That's a treat local business owners would love to receive before the year is out.