Jan. 30, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Helen S. Wright calls herself a "Super Bowl Shopper."

She visits stores regularly, browsing for fun, picking up small gifts for friends and comparing prices. These days Wright won't even consider plunking down her money for something unless it is on sale.

"Why pay full price if you don't have to?" Wright said.

It is a question that more shoppers are asking themselves.

With one of the most promotional holidays in decades still fresh in consumers' minds, where discounts of up to 70 percent were commonplace, going back to paying full price is a tough sell. The snow hasn't even melted yet and many big chain retailers, including Chico's, J. Crew and Lord and Taylor, are slashing prices on early spring goods as soon as they hit the shelves.

"Down 20 percent is the new full price," said Marie Driscoll, director of consumer discretionary retail research at Standard and Poor's (NYSE:MHP) in New York. "It's what you have to do to get the consumer even thinking about shopping. If you're uneasy about your job and uneasy about your income and then you have a closet that's already full, how do you motivate that person to buy? Only by marking things down."

It is a long-standing practice among retailers to tuck sale items at the back of the store and showcase fresh, full-price merchandise up front. Goods remained at their original prices for four to six weeks and then were discounted steadily by 20 percent, then 40 percent, then to the half-off clearance rack and finally out the back door to outlets and off-price chains.

Now, with the economy in turmoil, that retail convention has been turned on its head. Merchants are trumpeting markdowns at the front of the store and even in their windows in hopes of drawing reluctant shoppers through the door.

J. Crew, keen on keeping its luxury image, has discreet signs in its windows and throughout the store touting reduced prices on new arrivals -- such as the white cotton eyelet dress "originally $78, now $59.50." Lord and Taylor displays Michael Kors spring tops for 25 percent off in prominent view at the front of its aisles. Ann Taylor stacks tables with colorful spring cotton T-shirts at two for $35. Chico's tells customers in an e-mail "Hurry! 20 percent off new spring arrivals." BCBG Max Azria offers a blanket 30 percent off in its stores.

Perched at the register at an Ulta cosmetics store, clerk Stacy House has watched the markdown mind-set take root. She sees customers put back items that aren't discounted, even when the full price is a good deal.

"People will line up at the register and if they find out it's not on sale, they will leave it and not come back," said House. "It's more a state of mind in this economy. You are looking to get a deal rather than looking at the actual price."

Fewer than 5 percent of shoppers say they will pay full-price for an item compared to 11 percent a year ago, according to an America's Research Group survey of 1,000 shoppers earlier this month.

FBR Capital Markets (NASDAQ:FBCM) analyst Adrienne Tennant warns that this new pattern of "waiting for the markdown" is going to take its toll on retailers' profits in 2009.

"We believe that the extreme discounting we have seen in the past several months has 'trained' shoppers to wait until merchandise goes on sale before purchasing," Tennant said in a report this week. "This weekend, we noted a large number of discounts on new product, which leaves us further concerned about margins."

The promotional fever isn't going to go away as long as chain stores on the verge of going under slash prices to raise cash. Discounting at the weaker chains trickles throughout the retail landscape, prompting stronger chains to mark down as well in order to keep their customers.

"It's the only way retailers can survive," said Bonnie Carlson, president of the Promotional Marketing Association in New York. "They have to show that they're very aware of what's going on and that they're catering to the consumer."

smjones@tribune.com

Newstex ID: KRTB-0197-31350443