On the day after Christmas, Debbie Tozzi stayed busy turning gift cards into gifts.
Tozzi, 61, was headed to Bloomingdale’s, Forever 21 and H&M as a busy shopping Friday capped what looks like a very profitable Christmas for business owners.
“It’s a me day,” Tozzi said. “I got a lot of gift cards, and I’m trying to get them done.”
She wasn’t alone.
Experts say this Christmas season shaped up as the best in three years, with falling gas prices and a better job market boosting sales nationally roughly 4%.
There were fears after a sluggish Black Friday that the shopping numbers would drop, but they proved unfounded. There was also better weather, as the 2013 increase of 3.1% compared with the year before was hindered by nasty winter storms.
The numbers were helped by strong sales in women’s clothing, jewelry and consumer electronics — including the iPhone6.
Joan Campbell, 35, of Brooklyn, was doing her best to keep the sales figures high.
“They have a lot of good sales after Christmas,” Campbell said. “It’s a good day.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Daily News
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