November 5, 2009

CORNING -- Stores in the Twin Tiers, both big and small, local and national, have already begun their seasonal holiday pushes.

 

Corning's Holidazzle shopping event runs for four days starting Friday.

 

It kicks off the holiday shopping season in Corning.

 

More events like the Parade of Lights on November 28 and Sparkle on December 5 give people a further chance to shop in Corning's Gaffer District.

 

One of the keys to Holidazzle, however, is that shoppers are under no obligation to purchase merchandise if they want to participate in the festivities.

 

By contrast, many of the bigger chain retailers have already started advertising Christmas sales because for them, getting people into stores and making purchases is crucial to offsetting what is expected to be a slim Christmas period.

 

"They haven't built up their inventories as much as last year so they're not expecting as good a year," said Steve Kyle, a Cornell economist.

 

"They're going to have to discount things. They're not going to expect people to come in and buy things at full price. People are going to be looking for bargains."