When does Christmas shopping start for you? Business owners in Merced say sales up this weekend

For a lot of people, Thanksgiving weekend isn’t just about the turkey, stuffing or family gathering -- it’s also about the deals they can score.

Whether it’s waiting in line for a store to open or trolling the Internet for Cyber Monday deals, Christmas shopping started this weekend for many in Merced County.

“I don’t know why and I’m not complaining, but for some reason (sales) yesterday were just phenomenal,” Barry Peiffer, co-owner of the Merced Antique Mall, said Sunday.

“A little bit of everything” can be found at the shop, Peiffer said, from from antiques, collectibles, vintage clothing and albums.

There were sales going on all weekend at the shop on Main Street, Peiffer told the Sun-Star in a phone interview. People were getting anywhere between 10 to 75 percent off items, he said.

On Friday sales were up about 40 percent, Peiffer said, and Saturday sales were up almost 70 percent from last year.

Aloha Flora & Gift Shop also see’s “significantly a big difference in sales for us,” said store owner Dj Jones.

The shop, located in the Bear Creek Galleria on G Street, had sales all weekend, Jones said, with some items as much as 60 to 70 percent off. On Small Business Saturday the whole store was 25 percent off, Jones said, which rolled over to Sunday.

Offering sales during Thanksgiving weekend is “definitely worth it,” Jones said, because it’s convenient for customers especially since they’re already out shopping.

Monica Velez: 209-385-2486, @monicavelez21

This story was originally published November 26, 2017 at 5:28 PM with the headline "When does Christmas shopping start for you? Business owners in Merced say sales up this weekend."