Worst Post-Christmas Shopping Turnout Since 1969

Irea Sotero shops at a Macy's department store in Miami, Fla. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed legislation designating a three day sales tax holiday from Aug. 13 through 15, on school supplies, books, clothing, and footwear. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

NEW YORK—Although retailers made strides to generate post-Christmas income by putting on huge sales, money-cautious New Yorkers failed to show a matching level of excitement.

In the midst of the financial crisis, accompanied by the severe holiday weather, total retail sales dropped 5.5 to 8 percent in comparison to last year, making this winter the worst shopping season since 1969, according to preliminary data from SpendingPulse, a retail data service of Master Card advisers.

Many malls and retail stores are evidently emptier, and sales of apparel, appliances, and electronics were particularly slow.

However, for those who did go shopping, they seemed rather thrilled by good deals.

Liju Cai and Lixiang Cai, who were shopping at Bloomingdale’s in Midtown the day after Christmas, arrived at the store at eight in the morning and stayed for seven hours, spending a total of $600 on clothing.

Lixiang, who often shops at Bloomingdales, said the discounts after Christmas were even better than the deals on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.