TEXT OF STORY

AMY SCOTT: Now, the shopping gets serious. You’ve probably heard the ho-hum retail sales numbers by now. Up around 2.5 percent this holiday season, by some estimates. So today, retailers are pulling out all the stops. They’re slashing prices, offering free shipping. The Macy’s here in downtown Los Angeles opened at 7 a.m. Joyce Laster snuck out of work to be there.

Joyce Laster: We saw it on the Internet, on television, everywhere. I mean, you can’t miss Macy’s sale … after-Christmas sale.

I found Laster eyeing a pair of Coach shoes that would normally go for 158 bucks.

Laster: These caught my eye as I was passing by. So, I said, “Hmm, 25 percent off. I wonder if they’re going to be like another 25 percent off after New Year.”