Post-Christmas Price Slashing Lures Shoppers Back to Bay Area Malls

SAN MATEO (KPIX) -- The stress of Christmas shopping may officially be past us but, for a lot of people, the name of the game now is bargain-hunting.

At Hillsdale Mall in San Mateo, KPIX found a lot of shoppers returning unwanted gifts and buying things that they didn't find under the tree Saturday.

One store manager at the mall described the Sunday foot traffic as "mellow." There were lines at some stores but nothing too long.

"Return some gifts and exchange them 'cause they were either running too small or too big," remarked shopper Camila Velazquez.

"I wanted some cologne. I didn't get some from the wife so I got some extra today," said Hillsdale Mall shopper Paul Lane.

KPIX found bargain-hunter Bridget Blount standing in line outside the Bath and Body Works in Colma. It's her tradition to shop the day after Christmas.

"75 percent off on select items and $10 off on any purchase of $40 or more," Blount explained as she showed her $10-off coupon.

She wasn't unique -- social media and blog posts showed Bath and Body Works stores across the country were packed Sunday due to their big sale.

"Normally $13.50. On sale today for $3.38 -- that is a bargain," Blount said, as she picked up a bottle of shower gel.

Retail store managers said some of the biggest sales typically happen at the end of the year as they get rid of old items to bring in new inventory.

"Normal price, a $20 item, you can buy for, like, $4. It's a steal," said Kyla Nieva, assistant manager at Lovisa, a jewelry store in Hillsdale Mall.

Nieva said that, as customers come in for exchanges, stores want to entice people to buy more by offering steep discounts.

"A lot of our good sales like 5 (items) for $15 and 5 (items) for $10 -- pretty good deals," Nieva said.

There were a lot of signs throughout the mall offering 50 percent to 75 percent off on select items.

Blount said that, with deals so good, she was already shopping for gifts for next year.

"My total savings today was $99. Ninety-nine dollars is gas for me for two weeks," Blount said.