U.S. shoppers search for last-minute holiday deals

By Jessica Wohl

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Procrastinating U.S. shoppers headed out to buy last-minute gifts on Wednesday, while retailers tried to put a tough holiday season behind them and began to promote sales for the days after Christmas.

Stores have kept their doors open longer and offered deep discounts to lure consumers spooked by the recession, but are not expected to salvage what may be the worst holiday shopping season in up to 40 years.

Consumers who hit stores on Wednesday, the day before Christmas, said that some of the deals were still not enticing enough.

Colleen Pidel, who visited Macy's, Kmart and Toys "R" Us in New York City, noticed discounts of 25 percent and thought there would be better bargains. Still, she hoped others thought the discounts were deep enough.

"I hope for the economy's sake it is," she said. "But I am not too optimistic. The economy ... it makes you not want to spend as much."

Shannon Fallon, who lives in Manhattan and works as a personal assistant for a hedge fund owner, said she looked for discounts of at least 40 percent this holiday season and has cut down drastically on buying gifts this year.

"I probably got just half as much as I would have," she said while shopping at Toys "R" Us in Manhattan's Times Square.

Tim Gearon, who stopped by an Atlanta Bed Bath & Beyond store, said he was concerned about the slow economy but added, "we live in the U.S. and we always bounce back."