By Brian M. Rafferty
The economy has been like a roller coaster on a mountainside; mostly filled with the big drops, and with very little upward motion. In Queens, like the rest of the City and the country, we are feeling the pinch.

Businesses have clamped down on staffing over the holidays – at a time when most stores beef up personnel for the season, some major retailers and many smaller shops have kept staffing level or even scaled back.
For many retail shops, half or more of the year’s revenue is typically expected to come in during the holiday season. A recent survey by Next Chapter Press took a look at the plans of holiday shoppers and found some news that comes as little shock to many retailers.
“Considering the current economy and your own personal financial situation, do you plan on spending more, about the same or less on Christmas gifts this year than you would normally spend,” was what the survey asked. The highest percentage, 47.9 percent, said spending less; 45.4 percent said they would spend about the same while only 3.7 percent committed to increasing their spending.
According to numbers from the U.S. Department of Commerce, retail sales in October were down 2.8 percent from September, and down 4.1 percent from October 2007 – the biggest decline in 16 years.
An employee from a popular gift retailer in a Queens Mall, who did not wish her store or name to be identified, said that her company was increasing the price for gift wrapping and had actually reduced hours for staff throughout the season. Even the typical Black Friday boost was being tempered – not just at her shop but throughout the mall.
Another retailer at a mall spoke of the mall’s public relations people coming through the day before a major holiday event, warning them to only give positive feedback to any media that might question the mall’s business and the store’s holiday outlook.
At Atlas Park, spokesperson Sara McGuinness said that “so far everything is going really well” during the holiday season.
As an incentive to bring shoppers in, Atlas Park is offering free parking for the first hour if you spend more than $25 total at the shopping center. All you have to do is bring your parking ticket and receipts to the hospitality center, which is located next to the parking lot in the same building as the movie theater, and they will validate your parking for you.
Keep checking with your local shops and malls as new incentives are sure to pop up during this holiday season.