NATCHEZ – With Christmas behind them, shoppers continued the festive holiday spirit Wednesday by heading back to Natchez stores to look for sales.

&uot;They were here before I got here and that was 7:30 a.m.,&uot; said Natchez Mall McRae’s employee Mary West.

The store opened at 8 a.m., she said. The store employees marked a large number of items down for clearance.

Like many other stores, McRae’s also issued coupons to potential customers in an effort to offer more savings and invite shoppers to get out during what has been an economically slow shopping season.

West estimated the crowd Wednesday was typical in size for the day after Christmas.

Dayle Hinson, also a McRae’s employee, said that 50 percent reductions on handbags and cold weather gear were a draw for many customers.

&uot;So that’s what’s going,&uot; she said while helping several customers.

She described the store as &uot;really busy&uot; with more people buying items as opposed to taking part in the traditional after Christmas gift exchange.

Several shoppers said they came to the Natchez Mall to spend money they received for Christmas gifts and to look for sales.

Linda Smith, of Fayette, brought her two daughters to the mall to look for sales, make exchanges and to enjoy the time with her girls.

&uot;No. It’s exciting,&uot; she said when asked if she minded shopping the day after Christmas. &uot;I’ve got time to be with my girls while they’re out of school.&uot;

Chad Bradford, of Franklin County who attends Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, said looking for reduced items is a typical practice for a college student.

&uot;We have to look for sales,&uot; he said.

Michael Melchin, manager at Stage, said business was slow early Wednesday, but he expected it to pick up by afternoon and evening.

That was typical of the store’s customer traffic throughout the holiday season, but this did not hurt business, he said.

&uot;(December) was awesome for us,&uot; he said.

The store sold out of Christmas items, stayed open past mall hours on Christmas Eve and had clearance sales of 33 percent on many items Wednesday.

Renee Henderson, manager at Bookland, referred to business as steady Wednesday.

The store also had a number of marked down items including its Christmas ornaments, Henderson said. Books such as John Grisham’s, &uot;Skipping Christmas,&uot; &uot;The Lord of the Rings&uot; series, a reprint of Natchez’s Goat Castle story and &uot;One Life, One Nation&uot; where just a few of the popular items this year, she said.