Families preparing kids to expect less this ChristmasBy Mark Schirripa, mschirripa@wsbt.com
Many local families are preparing their children to expect less this Christmas because of tougher economic times. (WSBT photo) MISHAWAKA — Some parents are explaining to their kids why this will be a lean Christmas for gifts and it all boils down to tough economic times. Multimedia Lisa Wiest is Christmas shopping for her three young children. Her oldest is 10 and her youngest is 7. There will probably be fewer gifts under the Wiest Christmas tree this year, but Lisa is fortunate. Her kids understand. "And they'll say 'that one's too much this year' or something... especially my older ones," she says of her kids. Chris and Tara Reinoehl also have three children. Their youngest, Griffin, is also 7. He also understands that this may be a lean Christmas as far as gifts are concerned. His mom tells him that Santa is buying for a lot of kids this year. "This year's a lot tighter than last year, " she said. "Last year we had lots more money. This year, it's a lot tighter. "I just told him there's a lot of kids this year Santa has to buy for so there might be a little less under the tree and he's OK with that right now, right?" Her son agreed. "We'll see how it is Christmas morning. There'll be stuff under the tree just not as much." Customers are tuned in to what's going on. Store management and customers say they specifically look for items that are on sale. "I just see their patterns, their patterns of, if we put something on ad and it's a really good bargain, you're seeing that the parents are recognizing that," said Meijer store director Rick Zeeff. Zeeff says parents are still buying toys this year. They're just going for the less expensive items. The Wii video gaming system is all the rage this year, but for some, the price is outrageous. One way to get your kids to understand the Christmas crunch is to involve them with the shopping. Wiest said her daughter knows how to find a good deal. "She knows to look for sale signs already." Most PopularMore Good Stuff |
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