Posted on Mon, Nov. 27, 2006

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Strand's retailers see sales records

Sales tax break led N.C. buyers to Horry County

By Jenny Burns

The Sun News

Grand Strand retailers reported record sales during tax-free shopping days this weekend, saying the sale of luxury items and the addition of out-of-state shoppers sent them beyond their goals.

Not having to pay 5 percent sales tax lured shoppers to buy high ticket items and enticed N.C. buyers to fill Horry County stores.

Circuit City in Myrtle Beach had its best sales day in its five-year history.

Sales at Coastal Grand Myrtle Beach mall jumped up 35 percent over the same two days last year.

"On Friday afternoon, we looked around and saw shoppers with six and seven bags and heard that everybody was doing extremely well. We thought if we did 20 to 25 [percent increase], we'll be happy. When we found it was at 35 [percent increase], we were ecstatic," said Deb Bramlett, marketing director at Coastal Grand.

That 35 percent only includes the small stores. Bramlett said large stores, such as Belk, Dillard's, Sears and others, all were extremely pleased with double-digit increases in sales.

"When you look at national trends and see sales will be up 6 percent this holiday season, and we're up 35 [percent] in two days. That's a good way to enter the holiday season," she said.

Parking lots were so full Friday that shoppers at Coastal Grand were parking on the grass.

Across the country, more than 140 million shoppers spent 18.9 percent more during Black Friday weekend than last year, up to an average of $360.15 from $302.81 last year, according to the National Retail Federation.

On the Strand, tax-free days gave shoppers added incentive to buy luxury items, gifts and something for themselves. Proof of that was in high sales at Dillard's shoe department, since shoppers typically don't purchase shoes as gifts, Bramlett said.

Jim Toth of Myrtle Beach, an early Friday morning shopper, said he was going to car shop during the sales tax holiday.

"That's a big savings," he said, hoping to avoid paying hundreds of dollars in taxes on a new automobile.

Target store manager Sheila Abron said shoppers were taking advantage of tax-free savings by buying needed household items as well as hot Christmas gifts like flat-screen TVs and iPods.

All store managers reported high numbers of N.C. buyers - many who spent all day Friday or Saturday shopping in Horry County.

At Circuit City, more N.C. shoppers showed up on Saturday after hearing about the tax-free event - many coming from as far as Southport and Wilmington, said store director Orlando Scott.

On Friday, the Myrtle Beach store came in second in sales in its Southeastern region, he said.

Target saw high sales for TVs, DVD players, bikes, iPods, MP3 players - and also topped its sales figures from last year, Abron said.

Retailers said the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce's advertising of the tax-free days helped draw those out-of-state buyers and push sales to record levels.

The chamber mailed flyers announcing the sales tax holiday to 1.5 million households in Georgia, North Carolina, Virgina and West Virginia.

"Without a doubt, that generated a high response," said chamber President Brad Dean.

Dean said it remains to be seen whether those kind of retail sales surges will continue for the rest of the holiday shopping season - or if shoppers have now purchased the majority of gifts on their lists.

Nationally, retailers learned this weekend that men would get out of bed for a good deal on electronics.

While surveys of shoppers show more women shopped on Black Friday than men, the men outspent the women by 38 percent, buying electronics and computer accessories.