Star Wars, warm weather, cheap gas lift holiday sales

Retail sales this season were boosted by warm temperatures, the success of the new Star Wars movie and an abundance of gift cards as stocking stuffers, area retailers said.

MasterCard's Spending Pulse, which examines retail trends, found a 7.9 percent increase in sales from the period from Black Friday to Christmas Eve, according to a report released this week.

High growth in e-commerce drove the trend, and gas savings fueled retail spending too, that report found.

Colonie Center marketing manager Susan Spaccarelli said December sales information will likely be available in January, and Crossgates Mall marketing director Jennifer Smith did not respond to a request for comment.

An abundance of payment options — including Apple Pay, PayPal and credit card chip readers — characterized shopping this year, Potrikus said, noting that some confusion and intimidation regarding chip readers for credit card transactions may have slowed sales slightly.

The new system asks shoppers to insert a chip embedded in their cards into a machine instead of swiping the payment devices.

Retailers opened extra cash registers to shorten lines so that customers wouldn't go home out of frustration, he said.