Business Headlines: Macy's Late Night; Donations Down
BOSTON (CBS) - We're getting some mixed messages on how much people are willing to spend this holiday season.
They're willing to spend more on gifts, but maybe not on the truly needy.
DONATIONS DOWN
The Salvation Army says donations to its red kettles are down 22-percent from last year across Massachusetts.
They're raised more than $1.1 million so far, far from last season's total of $3.4 million.
The Salvation Army says this lean year will not stop them from delivering services to the needy during the holidays, including meals, coats and toys.
They will have to look at the effect on year-round programs for next year.
SHOPPING UP
Still, when it comes to holiday shopping, the season is up 4.5 percent over last year so far, according to the National Retail Federation.
And while we saw a strong Black Friday and first weekend of holiday shopping, the real test is whether retailers can keep shoppers coming back in the final two weeks before Christmas, when the majority of shopping happens.
MACY'S LATE NIGHT
And to that end, Macy's just announced it will keep the store at the South Shore Plaza in Braintree open until 2 a.m. on December 21st, 22nd, and 23rd.
Nationwide, it will keep more than a dozen stores open around the clock for the three straight days right before Christmas.
That's 83 hours of shopping!
Watch Lisa's report:
Lisa van der Pool of the Boston Business Journal can be seen weekdays at 6 a.m. on WBZ-TV.
