Santa Claus is coming to town — early.
Stores such as Target and Wal-Mart have been pounding the “Christmas is coming” message for weeks, and local shopping malls will soon be joining in.
For the first time in Cherry Creek Shopping Center’s 19-year history, Santa will not wait until the traditional day after Thanksgiving to take his throne inside the mall. Instead, he arrives Friday.
“We’ve had customers who have indicated they would like more time to get their Santa photos,” mall general manager Nick LeMasters said. “It is really a response to what the customers are asking for.”
The Santa lines at Park Meadows mall have been so long in the past that general manager Pam Kelly (formerly Pam Schenck) said the center is implementing the Santa Express program, which will give tickets to Santa-photo seekers with an assigned time slot.
“This is to ensure people will not have more than a 20-minute line,” Kelly said. “It will give the consumer a longer period of time to shop and enjoy the atmosphere of the shopping center.”
With a gloomy outlook for the 2009 shopping season, retailers and mall managers are getting creative to bring shoppers into their stores.
According to a new Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll, “65 percent of Americans plan to cut back on overall holiday expenses such as gifts, travel and entertaining.”
Heather Drake, senior marketing manager of FlatIron Crossing in Broomfield, said the mall will open at 6 a.m. — instead of its traditional 8 a.m. opening — on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
“We’re going to have a pajama lounge with complimentary breakfast for people who want to come down and shop in their pajamas,” Drake said. “And every Friday up until Christmas will be a freebie Friday where we’ll give away movie tickets and gift cards to restaurants.”
Although local mall officials fall short of predicting a sad holiday shopping season, they do warn that retailers are holding back on ordering large quantities of inventory.
“If you want it, you’d better buy it because it might not be there,” Kelly said.
LeMasters agreed: “My big worry for the holiday season is inventory levels in the store. If there’s something you really want, you’d better get it right now.”
Cool, calm, collective.
Fender-benders rarely come with rewards, but on Monday two people involved in a minor accident in the parking lot behind Snooze at East Seventh Avenue and Colorado Boulevard were given prizes for their civil behavior.
According to my spy, the collision took place between vehicles operated by locals Lisa Reynolds and David Porona. The conversation went something like:
“I’m terribly sorry.”
“Oh, it’s just an accident, no big deal.”
A passer-by overheard the kind exchange and went to her car to give them each two tickets to her nightclub. The gift-giver was Lannie Garrett, owner of the Clocktower Cabaret on the 16th Street Mall.
“Take these and come to a show any time,” she told the tickled twosome.
Eavesdropping.
A woman on Facebook:
“(I’m) gripped by unquenchable curiosity after overhearing a stranger say, ‘That’s when the lights came on, and it was just shocking. I’d had no idea.’ “
Penny Parker’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Listen to her on the Caplis and Silverman radio show between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-630 AM. Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.
