Wrapping Paper Sales on a Tear

Just how lucrative will this holiday season turn out to be for retailers? If wrapping paper sales are any indication, pretty darn good. Both shop owners and the public are awaiting holiday shopping statistics as a clue to American confidence and an economic rebound. An early sign is wrapping paper sales, which appear to be springing back to 2007 highs, reports the Wall Street Journal. Gift wrap sales totaled $9.36 billion in 2010, a 4% increase over the previous year; some companies are expecting sales to be up as much as 10% this year. The Gift Wrap Company is boosting sales with lower-cost rolls of paper and traditional motifs. "It's the traditional colors, traditional Santa icons and snowmen," said a spokesman. "Those kinds of things never go out of style." (More Christmas stories.)