Shopping season off to strong start

Sales during the four-day holiday shopping weekend that began Thursday, running through Black Friday and culminating on Sunday, were strong according to a sampling of area businesses.
Rosalyn Hawkes, Morgan City’s Stage store manager, said people seem to have their Christmas spirit intact while flocking to stores.
“We were phenomenal over here,” Hawkes said. “It was great. We did record numbers on Thursday, and we did record numbers on Friday … I think the economy is strong right now, especially during the holidays. I think people conserve during the year so they can buy at least a little present for everyone at the holidays. I think they’ve still got their Christmas spirit, at least right now.”
Marilyn Gautreaux, owner of Marilyn’s Hallmark in Morgan City said her sales were up, but she was unsure whether the response was because it was Black Friday or the first day of her going out of business sale.
“We had great results and saw lots of new faces. Compared to other Black Fridays, my sales were up,” Gautreaux said.
Results were mixed at other stores.
Morgan City’s Plantation Treasures sales associate Lacey Angeron, said the store fared roughly the same as last year.
“We weren’t as busy, but each sale was bigger. The quality of the sale was better than last year,” Angeron said.
Meanwhile, Len Klutts of Klutts Jewelers in Morgan City said that Black Friday doesn’t really benefit small businesses.
“We don’t really get much of a Black Friday thing. That’s really for your big box stores. We did alright. Historically, Black Friday is not really a day for your small business people,” Klutts said.
Bayou Vista’s Sears, owned by Jerry Gray, saw a slight decrease in sales over the four-day period.
It was not as good as last year,” Gray said. “Thanksgiving night was better than the typical Black Friday. After Black Friday, it was steady Saturday and kind of slowed down Sunday.”