Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

Are Consumers Shopping This Holiday Season?

Aired November 30, 2002 - 17:19   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The Christmas shopping season is so critical to retailers that when not using beautiful bodies, the more conventional approach is to lure shoppers with deep discounts, but doesn't everyone know that you got to wait for the week before Christmas for the deepest discounts? CNN's Gary Tuchman is with some shoppers fully clothed in Elizabeth, New Jersey tonight. Hi, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, hello to you and, you know, as part of our jobs we travel the country and the world watching remarkable events, but one of the most remarkable events I've ever seen as a newsman was about 19 years ago during a Christmas shopping story. A department store in Salisbury, Maryland announced they had 50 Cabbage Patch dolls back then and at 7:00 in the morning the next morning they were going to open up the doors, first come, first served. People started charging in when the doors opened, 25-year-old men knocking over 75-year-old women. It was incredible.

Now, we haven't seen anything like that since then but be sure about this, there are many merchants in this mall in New Jersey and malls all across the country that wish they had that hot of a product. That's how important this season is, the Christmas shopping season. We are right now at the Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It's an outlet center, more than 200 stores, the largest outlet center in a state known for its shopping centers, New Jersey.

This store we're outside of right now, Banana Republic, this gives you an idea of how eager they are to make sales. This sign right here, open until 12:00 midnight tonight. What kind of shopper comes out at 12:00 midnight; the same kind that comes at 6:30 in the morning. This mall is actually open at 6:30 in the morning for shoppers and they were here shopping, and you can get an idea of the sales they're looking for.

This is an outlet store but everything inside the store absolutely 20 percent off and the place has been mobbed all day. If you looked at this from the air, 1,000 feet in the air it would look like an ant farm with everybody scrambling through here looking for deals.

Two of the ladies looking for deals are standing right next to me right now. This is Joanna and this is Heidi. Turn around a little bit Heidi so the whole world can see you right now. Ladies, I just want to ask you. You were just inside of Banana Republic. Why do you come shopping on a day like this when it's very claustrophobic?

JOANNA: Because I like being here during the holiday season. TUCHMAN: It gives you the holiday spirit?

JOANNA: yes.

TUCHMAN: But there are so many people here. It's hard to walk without getting pushed and shoved. What made you decide to come today?

HEIDI: The holiday spirit and the sales.

TUCHMAN: And are you buying things?

HEIDI: Yes, well we haven't started yet. We just got here but definitely buying things.

TUCHMAN: How much money do you think you expect to spend today?

HEIDI: A lot.

TUCHMAN: Can you give me a ballpark figure?

HEIDI: Probably a few hundred.

TUCHMAN: And your counterpart, how much do you think you'll spend today?

JOANNA: Probably in the same range.

TUCHMAN: All right, so you're here to spend some money which they'll appreciate here. Now we were talking earlier on our newscast just before this story about the Abercrombie & Fitch catalog. You told me you've seen the catalog. What did you think of it by the way?

JOANNA: I think it looks like all the other ones that I've seen before.

TUCHMAN: Is that good or bad?

JOANNA: I don't really have a preference either way.

TUCHMAN: I mean do you like seeing partial nudity in your department store catalogs?

JOANNA: I don't think they're appropriate for catalogs but.

TUCHMAN: Does it encourage you to buy?

JOANNA: not really.

TUCHMAN: OK, well ladies thank you very much. They'll appreciate your hundreds of dollars that you're about to spend. Now we do want to tell you a lot of people think that the Friday, Black Friday which was yesterday and the Saturday after Thanksgiving are the busiest shopping days of the year. Indeed they're not.

Almost all merchants say the Saturday before Christmas is the busiest day. This year the second busiest day is expected to be the Monday before Christmas which is the day before Christmas Eve, but this is still one of the five or six busiest shopping days of the year and it's very critical and very important.

One thing we want to do before we say goodbye to you is ask Santa Claus really quick, right over here. This is the man who knows everything. Sir, the hottest toys this year?

SANTA CLAUS: The hottest toys are probably what they're asking for. On the girls' side is Barbies, cook sets, on the boys' side are the action figures, things like that. Some want the cars or trucks.

TUCHMAN: Mr. Kringle, good luck to you while you're talking to everyone.

SANTA CLAUS: Thank you.

TUCHMAN: Nice seeing you again, as I've seen you every year for 42 years. To everybody out there, Merry Christmas and a very happy Hanukkah to you also. Carol, back to you.

LIN: Yes, happy holidays. Thanks, Gary.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 30, 2002 - 17:19   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The Christmas shopping season is so critical to retailers that when not using beautiful bodies, the more conventional approach is to lure shoppers with deep discounts, but doesn't everyone know that you got to wait for the week before Christmas for the deepest discounts? CNN's Gary Tuchman is with some shoppers fully clothed in Elizabeth, New Jersey tonight. Hi, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, hello to you and, you know, as part of our jobs we travel the country and the world watching remarkable events, but one of the most remarkable events I've ever seen as a newsman was about 19 years ago during a Christmas shopping story. A department store in Salisbury, Maryland announced they had 50 Cabbage Patch dolls back then and at 7:00 in the morning the next morning they were going to open up the doors, first come, first served. People started charging in when the doors opened, 25-year-old men knocking over 75-year-old women. It was incredible.

Now, we haven't seen anything like that since then but be sure about this, there are many merchants in this mall in New Jersey and malls all across the country that wish they had that hot of a product. That's how important this season is, the Christmas shopping season. We are right now at the Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It's an outlet center, more than 200 stores, the largest outlet center in a state known for its shopping centers, New Jersey.

This store we're outside of right now, Banana Republic, this gives you an idea of how eager they are to make sales. This sign right here, open until 12:00 midnight tonight. What kind of shopper comes out at 12:00 midnight; the same kind that comes at 6:30 in the morning. This mall is actually open at 6:30 in the morning for shoppers and they were here shopping, and you can get an idea of the sales they're looking for.

This is an outlet store but everything inside the store absolutely 20 percent off and the place has been mobbed all day. If you looked at this from the air, 1,000 feet in the air it would look like an ant farm with everybody scrambling through here looking for deals.

Two of the ladies looking for deals are standing right next to me right now. This is Joanna and this is Heidi. Turn around a little bit Heidi so the whole world can see you right now. Ladies, I just want to ask you. You were just inside of Banana Republic. Why do you come shopping on a day like this when it's very claustrophobic?

JOANNA: Because I like being here during the holiday season. TUCHMAN: It gives you the holiday spirit?

JOANNA: yes.

TUCHMAN: But there are so many people here. It's hard to walk without getting pushed and shoved. What made you decide to come today?

HEIDI: The holiday spirit and the sales.

TUCHMAN: And are you buying things?

HEIDI: Yes, well we haven't started yet. We just got here but definitely buying things.

TUCHMAN: How much money do you think you expect to spend today?

HEIDI: A lot.

TUCHMAN: Can you give me a ballpark figure?

HEIDI: Probably a few hundred.

TUCHMAN: And your counterpart, how much do you think you'll spend today?

JOANNA: Probably in the same range.

TUCHMAN: All right, so you're here to spend some money which they'll appreciate here. Now we were talking earlier on our newscast just before this story about the Abercrombie & Fitch catalog. You told me you've seen the catalog. What did you think of it by the way?

JOANNA: I think it looks like all the other ones that I've seen before.

TUCHMAN: Is that good or bad?

JOANNA: I don't really have a preference either way.

TUCHMAN: I mean do you like seeing partial nudity in your department store catalogs?

JOANNA: I don't think they're appropriate for catalogs but.

TUCHMAN: Does it encourage you to buy?

JOANNA: not really.

TUCHMAN: OK, well ladies thank you very much. They'll appreciate your hundreds of dollars that you're about to spend. Now we do want to tell you a lot of people think that the Friday, Black Friday which was yesterday and the Saturday after Thanksgiving are the busiest shopping days of the year. Indeed they're not.

Almost all merchants say the Saturday before Christmas is the busiest day. This year the second busiest day is expected to be the Monday before Christmas which is the day before Christmas Eve, but this is still one of the five or six busiest shopping days of the year and it's very critical and very important.

One thing we want to do before we say goodbye to you is ask Santa Claus really quick, right over here. This is the man who knows everything. Sir, the hottest toys this year?

SANTA CLAUS: The hottest toys are probably what they're asking for. On the girls' side is Barbies, cook sets, on the boys' side are the action figures, things like that. Some want the cars or trucks.

TUCHMAN: Mr. Kringle, good luck to you while you're talking to everyone.

SANTA CLAUS: Thank you.

TUCHMAN: Nice seeing you again, as I've seen you every year for 42 years. To everybody out there, Merry Christmas and a very happy Hanukkah to you also. Carol, back to you.

LIN: Yes, happy holidays. Thanks, Gary.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com