Gilroy retailers who were holding their breath this holiday
shopping season let out a sigh of relief this morning when bargain
hunters showed up in droves on their doorsteps.
Gilroy retailers who were holding their breath this holiday shopping season let out a sigh of relief this morning when bargain hunters showed up in droves on their doorsteps.
Stores at the Gilroy Premium Outlets threw open their doors at the strike of midnight the day after Thanksgiving, typically the busiest shopping day of the year, and with an economy in the doldrums, managers didn’t know what to expect, said Jeannie Omel, general manager of the outlets.
“We were really thrilled with the turnout,” she said at about 6:30 a.m. “There’ve been lots of cars, lots of happy shoppers. I think people are here because the outlets really position themselves for an economy like this.”
The success of the outlets is crucial in Gilroy, city officials said. Nearly 20 percent of the city’s sales tax revenue comes from the outlets, said City Administrator Tom Haglund.
“This is an important weekend for the city of Gilroy,” he said. “We are looking forward to a very, very busy weekend. The outlets have been, in these difficult economic times, holding their own. We’ve seen growth and hope that will continue.”
Although managers didn’t have sales numbers, they said, anecdotally, that this year seems as busy, if not more so, than previous years. The outlets are in their third year of holding Midnight Madness hours, and some stores opened even earlier and stayed open all night. Dave Cartee, manager of Jockey, said sales during the first year were “phenomenal”, then dropped off last year. But judging by early morning business, he expected record sales this year, he said.
“We opened at 11 (p.m.) and it’s been going gangbusters since then,” he said. “People want to save a little bit of money and the outlets are the place to do it.”
Long lines streamed out the doors of the Sony and Coach stores as employees admitted only a few customers at a time. When most of the stores opened at midnight, a line of cars nearly seven miles long stretched along U.S. 101.
Shoppers gravitate to Gilroy for the “rock-bottom prices,” said Sinoj Ravindran of Redwood City, as he stood with a friend outside the Sony store at dawn.
“In the current situation, we felt that with the retailers going down like crazy, it’s a good opportunity for us to make the most out of it,” he said.
“We come to the outlets primarily for some savings,” said Hector Sanchez of Hollister. “We can’t do a whole lot this Christmas. We’re trying to be really frugal with what we’re doing.”
Packed outlets and big box retailers were offset by a sleepy downtown. While motorists circled parking spots looking for a space, only a few cars dotted the downtown Friday morning.
Omel said the current economic situation could be just the thing to drive shoppers to discounted and outlet stores.
“By nature, we’re a place to save,” Omel said.
While many consumers were looking to pinch pennies others made their way to Gilroy simply out of habit.
“We usually come because it’s the day everybody’s home,” said Leslie Drori of San Jose.
“It’s tradition,” her daughter Liatt chimed in as they waited patiently to be let into the Coach store.
