LOS ANGELES — Disappointing holiday sales may be getting a little lift from Mother Nature — at least in California.
Shoppers cashing in holiday gift cards and taking advantage of deep post-holiday discounts have been a ray of sunshine for malls and retailers in an otherwise wet week, which has seen the state pounded by record rainfall, thunderstorms and flood warnings.
Downtown Los Angeles set a record for the highest calendar rainfall day in any December, according to the National Weather Service, with 5.55 inches of rain on Tuesday. The old record was 4.86 inches on Dec 31, 1933. In addition to setting the daily rainfall record, Tuesday also held the distinction of being the third wettest day since records began in 1877.
But if anything, the weather seemed to be driving people to the stores rather than keeping them away.
“We had a 100 percent increase [this year] in terms of gift cards, so people are coming back to spend those,” said Joanne Brosi, general manager at the Glendale Galleria mall in Glendale, Calif. “On Tuesday, by 1 p.m., our parking was 75 percent full, and there are over 6,000 parking spaces.”
The General Growth-owned Galleria did have a couple of leaks in the food court area and on the second floor, said Brosi, who added that they were minor and did not interfere with shopping.
“It was a banner day the day after Christmas, and it’s continuing that way,” she said. “Most people typically spend a gift card within 60 to 90 days, but this year, it’s looking even shorter than that.”
Jennifer Kaufman, owner of a specialty accessories and clothing boutique at the Beverly Center mall in Los Angeles, couldn’t be more gleeful about the downpour.
“Let it pour, sister,” she said. “I ordered Paul Frank galoshes last year because they were so cute, and I thought we’ll probably sell a single pair, but now I only have two pairs left.”
The galoshes, which are bright red and have Frank’s popular monkey, Julius, printed on them, retail for $60, said Kaufman. Rain-soaked customers also have come in to buy umbrellas and T-shirts from Paul Frank, Rabbi’s Daughter and Goa, which retails for about $200.
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“People either want a bargain or justification to buy a $200 T-shirt,” she said. “Basically, they’re buying all the stuff that people in New York could use that we can’t use here.”
Cozy, dark weather inspired shoppers to buy books at Barnes & Noble at The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles’ Fairfax District, where people were lined up two by two — not at the ark, but at long register lines.
“People were out last night, which I was really surprised about,” said Jennifer Gordon, spokeswoman for The Grove. “Sales brought people out to Banana Republic, Nordstrom and Anthropologie.”
The restaurants were also full, some with 20-minute waits, said Gordon, who reported that by 2 p.m., the parking lot was full and remained at 85 to 90 percent capacity into the evening.
Gift certificates were also hugely popular at The Grove, which this year nearly doubled its sales of them, said Gordon.
Perhaps stores were booming because it was one of the few escapes available in a state that usually offers myriad entertainments. The problem this time is that the weather is bad throughout California, with heavy rain in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as heavy snow in the mountains.
The Bay Area saw its heaviest precipitation on Monday, with a San Francisco airport reporting record rainfall for a 24-hour period at more than 2.24 inches, according to the NWS, and many flights were delayed. The previous record for that day was 1.27 inches.
Jennifer Halloway, spokesperson for the Simon Property-owned Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, Calif., echoed her surprise at consumers’ tenacity for shopping despite the elements.
“It’s surprising enough that our shoppers are out there ducking under awnings and braving the weather, but it helps that 90 percent of our stores have winter clearance signs in their windows — and they’re really using their gift cards,” said Halloway, adding that gift card sales were up 30 percent for the fiscal year to date.
Halloway said she was relieved that the 50-year-old center had not seen any water damage from the rain.
But relief isn’t on the way just yet, according to NWS forecaster Bob Benjamin. Forecasters are predicting the rains could continue for the next several days and could impact the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday. The 116-year-old parade has never been canceled, a Tournament of Roses Association spokeswoman said, but the last time it was rained on was in 1955.
“We haven’t seen the last of it yet,” said Benjamin. “It may not be as ominous, but we’re going to see unsettled conditions…moving in and out of the area for the next seven to 10 days.”