Much is made each year about what gadget, toy or talking doll will take over the marketplace and force parents and gift-buyers everywhere into a bout of holiday madness. But in Oxford, people just want to rock and roll all night. There, it seems, merchandise from the band KISS is going to be a big seller this holiday season.
Micki McClendon, manager of Spencer's Gifts in Quintard Mall, says all her KISS-related merchandise flies off the shelves as fast as she can re-stock them.
"Oxford is a KISS mecca," she said. "KISS will be a big-ticket item here in Oxford."
In Calhoun County, as in the rest of the nation, no day in the year is as strongly linked with Christmas shopping as the day after Thanksgiving.
But that may be a false impression. A study by the International Council of Shopping Centers in New York shows the day after Thanksgiving registered among the top five shopping days of the Christmas season in only two of the past six years.
Generally the Saturday before Christmas is actually the biggest day for seeking the must-have toy, the action-packed game console or the lava lamp adorned with the visage of KISS members Gene Simmons or Paul Stanley.
Nonetheless, the day after Thanksgiving often starts a craze that sends one or two products into the commercial stratosphere.
Stories, and even entire movies, have been built around the theme of obtaining that hard-to-find Christmas item for the kids.
Furrbies, Beanie Babies and Tickle-Me Elmo all are items that went white-hot at Christmas time. Last year, it was anything Pokemon - the trading card game that pitches cute critters against one another.
Video game consoles are an item that some say could bring big holiday sales this year. With two new machines just entering the market, and another only a year old, retailers are stocking up.
Microsoft's Xbox already is hard to find in Calhoun County stores.
Tagged as a competitor with Sony's Playstation 2, the Xbox has powerful graphics and computer hardware such as a hard drive and the ability to connect to the Internet. Like the Playstation, it costs $299.
Lee Estes, manager of the Electronics Boutique at Quintard Mall, said that every day the Xbox consoles come in, they go out.
"I've had people come in that are in their 30s and 40s and buy them," Estes said. "I've had teens come in and buy them."
The other game console sought after in this year's holiday season is Nintendo's GameCube, listing for $199.
GameCube plays cartridges rather than the compact discs, used on Playstation 2 and the Xbox.
The GameCube is meant for younger players, while the Xbox and the Playstation 2 are meant for a somewhat older consumer.
"There isn't one best, in my opinion," Estes said.
The Playstation 2 has more than 200 game titles and has been on the market two years. The other two game consoles have 10 to 20 game titles.
The International Council of Shopping Centers predicts other hot toys this year will include Rumble Robots, the Nintendo Game Boy, Tonka Toys, robotic animals and, in a nod to Sept. 11, Rescue Hero Action Figures -- FDNY Billy Blazer.
The organization says merchandise with Scooby Doo, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings also are probable hot sellers.
"There's no really hot toy," said Jimmy Pittman, who manages KB Toys in the mall. "Not one that stand out anyway. Not like Furrbies and Pokemon."
For adults, the list expands to include books, apparel and electronics.
Leather clothing, jewelry, books and electronics seem to be on wish lists for adults.
Larry Curtis, manager of the Sears store at Quintard Mall, said high-definition televisions are selling at a brisk rate, as are hand-held vacuum cleaners called Sharks.
One other hard-to-find item should have a little more stock this year at Quintard Mall - parking. The mall will have their entire parking lot expansion open for the Christmas season.
Carol Maner, a spokesperson for the mall said the increased parking should come in handy as people are likely to stay closer to home this holiday shopping season.
"We feel like because we're located in a small market that people may feel apprehensive about going to Birmingham or Atlanta," Maner said. "People will feel more comfortable staying close to home."
