There are smart shoppers. There are savvy shoppers.
Porcelain BraceletAnd then there are the people who shop at Santee Alley.
This jam-packed corridor, a classic open-air bazaar at the epicenter of L.A.'s downtown fashion district, draws adventurous bargain hunters from Calabasas to Victorville and beyond.
Louise Sirls and her sister flew in from Kansas City, Mo., after learning about the Alley from another sister in Los Angeles. While the shopping district is best known for selling $20 knockoffs of famous-maker handbags and shoes, it's attracting more shoppers looking for basics, like women's sundresses for $2.99.
"We bought kids clothes, suitcases, hats," said Sirls. The sisters also bought formal wear, "the kind of styles they're not going to see back home."
Sirls has not yet tabulated her total spending on the one-week trip. But she estimates she saved hundreds of dollars by paying cash at the Alley instead of buying at a mall.
Misty Smith, a young mother from Victorville, comes once a month to buy brand-name knockoffs -- getting clothes, shoes and purses at up to 80 percent off the price for the real thing. "A real Coach purse is $400," she said. "Here it's $50."
Department stores have been losing market share for years to the Target, Marshalls and T.J. Maxx stores of the world, not to mention the Internet. But open-air markets, where the art of bargaining on price keeps things lively, are also snagging more mall shoppers than they used to.
"We work with a company that does tours down here, and the feedback I'm hearing is that we're getting a lot more suburbanites," said Katherine Schmidt, director of marketing for the district, which covers about 90 blocks.
"You find the same things here that you find in Beverly Hills -- for half the price," said West Los Angeles resident Tony Pratts, who scored four linen suits for $130 on a recent trip.
"I spent $70 on one and $20 on the other three," he said. "It's the same quality as you get in the mall in Santa Monica."
Pat Tynes made the trek from San Diego. "The sunglasses here are $5," she said during a recent foray into the Alley. "At Target, they're $15."
Consumers are finally starting to put the brakes on flagrant spending habits credited with keeping the economy afloat, which bodes well for the most price-sensitive shopping venues.
Personal spending growth fell to 2.5 percent during the second quarter, down from 4.8 percent for the first quarter, the Commerce Department reported last month.
"With increases in gas prices, consumers are starting to really think hard about how they spend their money," said Aubie Goldenberg, a retail industry analyst at Ernst & Young. "Consumers are going to trend to fewer shopping trips, and there will be more of an emphasis on buying food first, before other things."
At the Roadium, a huge flea market and swap meet in Torrance, those in the crowd -- 70 percent speaking Spanish -- buy produce trucked in overnight directly from growers in Central California and consumer goods from vendors importing directly from China.
John Schoen, general manager of the market, said shoppers get a 40 percent to 70 percent discount on everything they buy. "If you're into Gatorade, you can buy six bottles for Dimmable LED Down Light K1109 - 3x1x1W / 3x1x3W 40 cents
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