Linda Hoffman probably typified the holiday shopper of 2007. Hoffman, a kindergarten teacher who lives in Yonkers, said she was cautious about her spending because she was mindful of other expenses that are rising. “You have gas prices and taxes all going up about the same time,” she said while taking a break for lunch yesterday at the Galleria mall in White Plains.
The International Council of Shopping Centers said yesterday that same-store sales, or sales at stores opened at least a year, appeared just below already slim projections for a 2.5 percent gain over last year, though it said that a post-Christmas buying bump could erase that shortfall. Target Corp.
warned late Monday that its same-store sales might decline for December, and a broad gauge of consumer spending released by MasterCard Advisors, a division of the Purchase-based credit card company, on Tuesday reported a 3.6 percent increase from Thanksgiving through Christmas. That compared with a 6.6 percent gain in the year-ago period. Excluding gasoline and auto sales, the 2007 holiday increase was 2.4 percent.
“The ingredients were not there for a blockbuster season,” said Michael McNamara, vice president of research and analysis for MasterCard Advisors.