Universitv Daliv Kansan. December 6. 1983
Page 3
Local retailers say season off to a good start
By JOHN HOOGESTEGER Staff Reporter
Lawrence retailers say that the Christmas shopping season is off to a good start and that they expect a better retail season than last year.
Retailers also say that they notice the effect on Christmas sales from KU students' shopping and that they see a drop in sales when the students leave.
"The merchants are generally optimistic," said Gary Toebben, executive vice president of the Lawrence Chamber. "Sales the first few days were good."
Toebben said that retail sales were up 10 percent to 15 percent in Lawrence.
"The merchants hope it will carry over into Christmas," he said.
TOEBBEN ALSO said that men-
mentals would notice the absence of KU
ship.
Bob Schumm, president of the Downtown Lawrence Association, said that he experienced a 30 percent drop in business at his restaurant, the Massachusetts Street Delicatessen, 941 Massachusetts St., after exams ended and KU students headed to
'When you take 15,000 to 20,000
people out of a town this size, that represents about 30 percent of the population," he said. "They leave a real dent in the restaurant business. When school is out the amount of need for the staple goods and services like groceries and gas is substantially lighter."
Schumm said that students weren't the only ones to leave as professors and support personnel also tended to leave town when students were gone.
HE ALSO SAID that students traditionally did most of their buying in the two to three days before they went home.
"We'll see a lot of students downtown
through the 18th," Schumann predicts.
Pete Whitenight, owner of
Whitenight's Town Shop, 839 Massa-
"When the students leave it's particularly noticeable to those of us who do a considerable business with students," she said. "They're here and sad when they're gone."
chusets St., said he would certainly miss the students.
Larry Flannery of Weaver's Department Store, 901 Massachusetts Street, Boston, MA 02116.
He also said that the shopping season was off to a good start, and that he always enjoyed the Christmas season, of how well his business was doing.
"WE'RE SEEING an uprend in sales, and the economy is showing improvement," he said. "Nationwide things are also looking good."
Flamery said that Weaver's would also notice the absence of KU students.
"We're used to the natural population decline, so we adjust for it," he said.
Garland White of J.C. Penney Co., 830 Massachusetts St., said business was going well and expected it would be up from last year, if the current buying trend continued. He said students affect the economy as a whole, but don't have that much of an influence on sales at J.C. Penney.
Art Cromer of Gibson's Discount Store, 2525 Iowa St., said the store was so busy that it had been using office staff on the sales floor.
"SALES JUST seem to build and build until Christmas," he said. "If the students stayed on there would be an even greater increase in sales."
Sam Shipley, store manager of Wal-Mart, 2727 Iowa St. which opened earlier this year, agreed with Cromer.
getting a lot more business than we figured on."
"Sales are great," he said. "We're
He said many students were shopping at Wal-Mart, L., that a drop in sales wouldn't be noticed after exams because the store would be into the last-minute peak of the Christmas shopping rush.
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