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--> --> Retailers trying to drum up business PORTLAND (AP) - One month after the terrorist attacks on the East Coast, donation drives to aid victims appear to be returning some cautious consumers to stores and restaurants. On Thursday, about 510 Oregon restaurants joined establishments across the country for Dine for America, which donated a portion of sales or profits to the American Red Cross. "The terrorists have got the consumers in a certain psychology to stay at home," said Bruce Stern, a marketing professor at Portland State University. "When stores and restaurants dedicate proceeds to one of the relief industries, it's good business because it's philanthropic, but they're doing more than that. They're nudging people to get out of their homes." According to recent data, U.S. retail sales had their weakest September in two decades. Many publicly traded restaurant chains and department stores have downgraded their earnings estimates. At Washington Square Mall, foot traffic is down about 5 percent from the same time last year. Seattle-based Nordstrom, whose sales were hurt by the attacks, bucked the trend with a rare clearance sale held from Sept. 28 through Oct. 8. The company donated a fraction of the sale revenue to the Red Cross, raising $1.9 million. Traffic during the sale increased by about 15 percent, and Nordstrom spokesman John Bailey said customers "responded well" to the donations. Since the attacks, the staff at many of Old Spaghetti Factory's 40 restaurants - including the three in Oregon - have been collecting money for the Red Cross relief fund. The company will match all donations that the staff collects through Thursday, the one-month anniversary of the attacks. Steve Sweeney, the Portland-based chain's director of marketing, said the program is simply "a goodwill gesture." But he said there was no "measurable evidence" that the uptick was a result of the Red Cross donation program. Many Oregon participants in Dine for America will give at least 11 percent of the sales to the relief effort, but the actual amount is up to individual restaurants. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing