Signs of Desperation?

New York, In a page from an old Kmart playbook, Macy's said that beginning Dec. 21 at 7 a.m., seven of its stores in the New York metropolitan area, including its flagship store in Manhattan, will be open around the clock until 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, the Queens Center Mall location will begin 24-hour operation on Dec. 20. Last year, only the Queens Center store pulled an all-nighter, opening 83 hours straight until Christmas Eve.

Macy's spokeswoman Orlando Veras said the move had been planned and wasn't a last-minute attempt to drum up business, according to an AP report.

"We listened to our customers," he said