Department Store Shoppers Are Indicator Of Recession Recovery

BETHESDA, Md. (WUSA) -- Experts say the recession is over.
But are people spending? 9NEWS NOW visited Montgomery Mall where traffic was steady on Columbus Day; a positive trend for the upcoming holiday season.

Shoppers say they're beginning to feel better about spending even though they don't truly feel the recession is quite over. But their spending habits these days could tell another story.

Deep discounts are making a dent.

Viola Derrington says, "I'm out here shopping that tells you people have a little bit of money to buy a few things."

Susan Krys says, "I feel more comfortable going out and spending a little bit of money."

Yvonne Tanner says, "We're headed in the right direction but it's not over just yet."

And Tanya Hines says, "I don't think it's over."

But Tanya Hines is spending.

"I bought jeans. I think it is necessary but it's not really a necessity," says Hines.

And what about Willy Gamez?

"I try to be cautious of what I spend. I don't like to spend a lot of money," says Gamez. But in his shopping bags were a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, and four pairs of shoes.

Shoppers who lay dormant this summer are hungry for a bargain.
The Columbus holiday shopping weekend will not be the shot in the arm retailers need but a Montgomery Mall spokesperson says the positive trend they've seen this weekend could be signs of things to come.

Stephen Fuller professor of public policy at George Mason agrees.

"This is the beginning of the beginning," says Fuller.

Still the biggest indicator of consumer confidence at shopping malls will be black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. It's a make or break for some retailers. Analysts say the recession lasted more than 19 months and it could be another year before shopping is back to normal.

But he says shoppers may never return to their old habits of overspending.

Says Fuller, "People are smarter shoppers. Where once they never asked how much, two or three years ago, are now asking how much things cost."