The day-after Christmas blizzard that walloped the East Coast cost retailers about $1 billion in delayed sales, according to ShopperTrak.
Customer traffic at malls and stores in the Northeast fell 6.1% on the day after Christmas from the same day last year, ShopperTrak said, and total U.S. foot traffic was 11.2% below what it would have been had the blizzard not hit.
On Monday, December 27th, shopping traffic across the country was down 13.9%, with foot traffic in the Northeast tumbling 42.9%. Snowfalls totaled up to 30 inches in some New York City suburbs, stranding people at home and causing massive travel and commuting delays. Other regions of the country averaged a 13% gain on the 27th.
“As expected the 2010 blizzard throughout the Northeast halted nearly all retail visits and spending during a period that is fairly crucial for retailers,” ShopperTrak Bill Martin said in a press release. “And at this point the prospect of momentarily pausing a potential $1 billion in sales has the collective industry holding its breath."
Martin expects "some retail strength later this week and into the weekend as folks begin to dig out," but is cautious about whether levels will "recover in time to boost December sales and the overall holiday shopping season.”
ShopperTrak records sales and customer traffic at more than 70,000 stores and malls across the country.
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