Big bargains abound: Christmas shopping in lean times

Slowing economy makes retailers work harder to push merchandise Lowest prices of the season. Lowest prices of the year. Lowest prices ever. Many retailers keep sweetening the deals on an array of merchandise to attract shoppers in what is expected to end up as one of the slower holiday shopping seasons in recent years. In Utah and much of the country, stores are hoping great prices on electronics, movies and toys will help overcome flagging consumer confidence, a slow real estate market, high gasoline prices, rising mortgage delinquencies and a rash of recalls that has shaken consumers' faith in toys. And the best deals may be yet to come. According to ShopperTrak, five of the days predicted to be the biggest holiday shopping days this year are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Dec. 26. Some of the biggest bargains have been in electronics - especially older technology that already has been depreciating in recent years. This year, many popular electronics are so inexpensive that they have become gift-giving standards. It's been the year of the $399 laptop and the $25 DVD player (in some cases the $15 DVD player.) Those kinds of prices have appealed to shoppers squeezed by an economy on the brink of recession. Although Utah's economy is one of the strongest anywhere, there have been job losses at companies here related to real estate, including mortgage companies and home builders. Those -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advertisement -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- who kept their jobs and are working on commission, such as real-estate agents, are having a harder time making ends meet. Generally, ''shoppers are more frugal and cost-conscious because they have less money to spend," said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group, based in Charleston, S.C. But good prices can get those shoppers to open their pocketbooks. Nan Tucker, of Bountiful, spent only $9 on a portable DVD player for her 5-year-old grandson at Kmart. "It's just a plain old DVD player, but at that price, why not?" she said Sunday. She also spent only $40 on a MP3 player at Best Buy, although she says she has yet to figure out how to download songs. On Sunday, she was finishing up shopping at Wal-Mart in Centerville looking for good deals on toys and kids' clothing. Another source of discounting is in DVD movies. This year, an ample selection of $5 and $6 movies have become pretty much standard among the big-box retailers, with even some retailers such as Target selling popular DVD titles for as low as $3.98 on some weeks. Chandra Guibord, of Ogden, wasn't expecting to buy many DVDs until she passed a display of $5 movies at that Wal-Mart. "There are just some really great deals here," she said. "Usually, at this price, they are just the really bad movies. But there are a lot of good ones here." Her roommate, Heather Jackson, also was stocking up on gifts for friends and family. "At this price, you can replace some our your VHS movies with DVD," she said. There are good deals to be had on toys as well. Toy retailers have been rolling out a number of sales on a variety of products. Even though toys don't tend to depreciate like electronics do, Toys "R" Us said prices on a number of its toys are the lowest ever. A sampling from its stores on Sunday: Its Barbie Dream house, which was $119.99, is now selling for $89.99, or a radio-control helicopter priced at $29.99 for the "lowest-ever" price of $19.99. JoAnne and Wayne Robinson, of Salt Lake City, said all the good deals being offered by retailers this year have helped them to avoid breaking their budget. "I really feel good about what we paid for everything this year," JoAnne Robinson said. "It just seems like we have got some better deals than last year." She and her husband started saving earlier this year to avoid running into financial problems around Christmas. "We knew with higher fuel prices and everything, it was going to be tighter this year," Wayne Robinson said. But as it turned out, they came in slightly under budget. "And the best thing is that we're pretty much done," said JoAnne Robinson: "Except for some stocking stuffers, we have it all." --- * THE ASSOCIATED PRESS contributed to this report. Top holiday shopping days 1. Black Friday, Nov. 23 2. Super Saturday, Dec. 22 3. Saturday, Dec. 15 4. Friday, Dec. 21 5. Sunday, Dec. 23 6. Wednesday, Dec. 26 7. Saturday, Dec. 8 8. Saturday, Dec. 1 9. Thursday, Dec. 20 10. Saturday, Nov. 24 Source: ShopperTrak Getting the best deal * Ask a store if it will match a competitor's ads. Many will, although policies vary. * If you bought something this holiday season and you notice it for less before Christmas, bring in the ad and ask your store for a price adjustment. Many stores will gladly refund the difference rather than have you return merchandise at their store and buy it elsewhere. * Still looking for a Wii or other hot items? Many stores are getting new shipments of the popular game console and other sought-after gifts regularly through Christmas. But they go fast. For a better chance at getting one, shop immediately when the store opens on the day an ad comes out. And ask to talk to store managers. They can provide some advice on how to get a particular item in their store, such as checking in at certain times throughout the day as shipments arrive.