Mixed results so far for Christmas shopping season - WLOX.com - The News for South Mississippi

Mixed results so far for Christmas shopping season

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By Doug Walker - bio | email

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SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -

At Family Dollar, there's a steady stream of customers picking up Christmas goodies. The cash register stays busy and business is up significantly this year over last. For workers, friendly service equals a better bottom line. Chuck Turner Jr. is the store manager.

"Oh yeah, they love it. Especially when we use their names, we call them out by name and they know us by name now too." Turner said. 

It's not quite the same at Dino's Gift Shop, where store manager Larry Wade is hoping to welcome more customers in the days ahead.   

"It's slower than last year. I think it's because of the season, I'm really not sure but there's not a really good feeling to it at this point." Wade said. 

At Bayou Belle Boutique, doing as well as last year means the holidays will be jolly, according to fashion consultant Joanna Worch. 

"We're seeing about the same amount of customers this year, and spending seems to be roughly what it was last year. They are buying holiday items and gifts and shopping for their friends." Worch explained. 

One of those shoppers is Jackie Covington, who is opening up the purse strings a bit more this year.  

"I feel a little bit more comfortable spending money. Also, I like the quality of the stuff they have here in particular and I just feel more at ease this year," Covington said.  

While most retailers I talked to remain optimistic, some said they're not doing as well this year as they did last year, and they place the blame hundreds of miles away, in the nation's capital. 

Put Wade in that camp. 

"I think they're reluctant because they're afraid of what the Congress is going to do. What the president is going to do. The fiscal cliff talk has got people upset," Wade said.

That's a cliff business owners cannot afford to topple over. 

Because Thanksgiving came so early this year, on November 22, some retailers said the extra weekend of shopping may give them the added boost they need to turn a profit for the year.

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