THE sales so far have been "not overly spectacular", according to the general manager of Clerys, Mr Tom Rea. Other store managers contacted by The Irish Times were equally low key in their assessments of interest.

Mr Paul Kelly, the managing director of Brown Thomas, while saying the sales there had been "very, very good", added they had been interrupted by the new year break and the current spell of cold weather.

He criticised radio commentators who were advising people to stay at home because of the low temperatures. This was an overreaction, he said.

The chief executive of the Cork Chamber of Commerce, Mr Michael Geary, said it was his impression that "people were not trampling each other to death" trying to get into the sales.

"However, traders are not complaining. They are happy with the level of trading, because the level of spend pre Christmas was considerably up on the previous year."

Store managers said shopping had been very brisk last Friday, Saturday and Monday, but then slowed. The success of the sales was not equal to the success of the preChristmas period.

Mr Duncan Graham, manager of Marks and Spencer on Merchants Quay, Cork, said retailers were happier to see consumers spending before rather than after Christmas. "We make more of a mark up preChristmas."

A change in shopping practices, combined with consumer exhaustion, may have led to, the "flat" post Christmas sales.

Irish shoppers in general have become more selective and are no longer as inclined to buy a household item just because it is reduced in price, Mr Rea said.

"There is far less impulse shopping. People buy an item only if it is part of a planned purchase there is far more planned purchasing these days."

There are "tasteful" items available at prices to suit most shoppers, he said, and retailers would have to give more consideration to consumer demand for merchandise which suited their taste.

"I think most retailers anticipated that post Christmas would not be as bouyant. The sales are flatter than most would have liked."

However, he was "pleased" with the level of sales which Clerys was achieving, given, the level of sales pre Christmas and the huge expansion of retail space which occurred in Dublin this year.

Of the store managers who spoke to The Irish Times, Ms Breda Glynn of Moon's in Galway, was the most enthusiastic.

"The sale started on Friday the 27th at 11 a.m. and within five minutes the store was full. Friday and Saturday were crazy, and Monday and Tuesday were fantastic, great."

Yesterday was quiet but she was confident sales would pick up again. "In general we've had a big increase on last year. There was a lot of cash around. People were spending money like there was no shortage. It was great."

Mr Jarlath Feeney, chief executive of the Galway Chamber of Commerce, said a survey it had carried out concluded that pre Christmas sales in Galway were up 10 per cent on 1995. It was expected that this year's post Christmas sales would be up by a similar percentage on last year.

In general, store managers said they had noticed a trend towards buying more expensive products. Demand for cosmetics was something upon which a number of managers remarked.