PASCO -- Courtney White and Tyler Hubbard didn't have to wait long to make a return Saturday at Grigg's Department Store.
The Pasco business had a steady stream of customers, but staff wasn't overwhelmed with people wanting to return or exchange items they'd gotten for Christmas the day before.
"Returns have been pretty light," said Rod Nolan, operations manager. "It's been like that the last couple years."
It was the same story at some other Tri-City stores, which didn't see heavy returns despite crowds of customers taking advantage of after-Christmas sales.
The days following the Dec. 25 holiday are important for retailers. In 2008,
Dec. 26 was the second biggest holiday shopping day of the year in terms of retail traffic, according to the research and analysis firm ShopperTrak.
White and Hubbard drove from the Kahlotus area Saturday morning to exchange a pair of boots Hubbard got for Christmas. The boots didn't fit, but Hubbard was able to find another pair that did.
"This is the first (store we've been to)," he said after his stop at the Griggs customer service counter.
But it wasn't going to be their last. They next were headed to Shopko.
That store, on Columbia Center Boulevard in Kennewick, was busy but wasn't seeing a high number of returns, a manager said.
Neither was JCPenney at the Columbia Center mall in Kennewick. The department store was packed Saturday with people hunting for good deals. Some customers even were lined up outside when the doors opened early at 5 a.m., said Chris Smart, assistant store manager.
"We are very busy," Smart said. "I think this year people are more focused on the sales (rather than returns)."
The Associated Press reported that this holiday shopping season is looking to be modestly better for retailers than last year. ShopperTrak predicted a 1.6 percent gain, compared with a 5.9 percent drop a year ago, the AP said.
Another group, the National Retail Federation, was predicting a 1 percent dip in total retail sales, according to the AP.
The Target store in Kennewick was "extremely busy" Saturday, said manager Amanda Parker.
Lora Taggart went to the store with her mom, Judy Andrews, to return some clothing. The women, both from Kennewick, usually brave the crowds the day after Thanksgiving to hit sales, they said.
But Taggart was gone this year, so they ventured out the day after Christmas.
There were a lot of people out, but the women seemed to be having fun. They'd already been to the mall, and Target wasn't their last stop.
"We're going to be out all day," Andrews said.
-- Sara Schilling: 509-582-1402; sschilling@tricityherald.com
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In the Tri-Cities, Black Friday meant waves of green for happy retailers and a sea of cars for hectic shoppers.
"This is my third trip to the car," said Mary Garcia of Othello as she trudged through the Columbia Center mall parking lot, both hands loaded with shopping bags. "You'd think I'd remember where it was by now. I've been here since 4 a.m. I wanted to be sure to hit the sales before everything was gone."
She was buying clothes and gifts for her family.
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