Thursday, December 24, 1998

Do decorations sell Christmas?

By SCOTT SCHOLTEN

Staff Writer

With a few exceptions, shops are adorned with their mood-altering Christmas decorations every November.

But are they seasonal sentimentalism or a way to lure customers?

At Village Boutique, Christmas decorations engender the warm, fuzzy feelings often associated with the holidays.

But for some retailers, the decorations are more for store employees than to soften up customers’ wallets, said owner Yanell Rieder.

“I don’t think of it in terms of selling things,” Rieder said. “It’s more mood for us because we have to be around it, and the holidays are tough on those of us from retail because we don’t have time off. It makes an at-home atmosphere.”

Shifting employees into the holiday spirit is integral to boosting holiday sales, Rieder said.

Putting the decorations up is a nice jump-start to the holiday season, Rieder said.

But the effects of the decorations are fleeting.

They may spark the holiday spirit, but everyone becomes used to them, Rieder said.

“It’s like walking into your living room. I’m not sure people even really notice after a while,” Rieder said.

At the Mall of Abilene, where all the stores share the expense of the decorations in the mall’s common area, decorations are a portion of the total shopping experience, said Steve Majors, the mall’s general manager.

Christmas decorations are as basic as providing air conditioning, heat and mood music, Majors said.

And the children really get a kick out of the decorations, most notably the Santa house, Majors said.

Callaway’s Carpets puts up its multi-thousand dollar Christmas display out of sheer holiday delight, said Bill Herring, co-owner of the carpet store.

Callaway’s boasts a 2,000 light-clad Christmas tree and nearly 50 decorative Christmas characters, Herring said.

Herring said children’s faces light up when they see the display. For Callaway’s employees, “It’s more of a mood thing.”

The display takes about two days to assemble, Herring said, depending on how busily carpet is being selected and laid.

The City of Abilene gets into the act, too.

The city hangs seasonal banners and lights, said Elizabeth Grindstaff, Abilene’s downtown manager.

“I think it helps create a certain ambiance that is unique to Abilene,” Grindstaff said. “This is a time when retailers do a lot of business.”

The lights were in turned on in November, and “Everybody was in awe how they changed the look and feel” of downtown, Grindstaff said.

Scott Scholten may be reached at (915) 676-6737 or scholtens@abinews.com.