With Christmas approaching, some city vendors say sales are lower than they usually are but in the true Christmas spirit they remain optimistic that as the days go by business will be booming.
Even with many of the streets in downtown Georgetown jam-packed with traffic, by the end of the first week of December vendors told Stabroek News that their sales were not on par with those of previous years.
The weather has also been cited as a significant impediment to many persons who are not willing to go out and get soaked by the rain. Still some eager Christmas shoppers have been undaunted and many can be seen walking around with their umbrellas as they tried to get their hands on the early Christmas deals.
When this newspaper canvassed the views of Regent Street’s vendors last Saturday, many vendors said sales were significantly lower than usual at this time of the year.
Jennifer (only name given) said that she believes that the reduction in sales is due to the stores attracting the majority of shoppers. She said her products, which include mats, rags, and toys, are not finding buyers because the stores are selling the same things and to compete with the store prices, she has to cut her costs in half. She also suggested that persons waiting for “a Christmas raise” before starting their shopping might be a reason for the recent lack of sales on the streets.
Mark (only name given), who also sells toys, such as remote control cars that young children can ride in, told Stabroek News that he believes that many persons are in fact waiting for “the extra cash” to come in before starting their Christmas shopping.
When Stabroek News approached him, he had just been speaking with a person who he hoped would be a potential buyer. But after pricing a remote control vehicle, the would-be buyer walked off. Mark later said the Christmas sales are “not there as yet” but added that he was hopeful. “We’re hoping when the public servants get the back pay…,” he said.
Mark noted that the toy cars used to have a lot of buyers but this has changed in recent years.
Another seller, called Vanita, said that as the days go on, so does her bag business. At the time Stabroek News spoke with her, it was still early in the day and she said that her sales might get better later down.
Meanwhile, many persons were not letting the gloomy weather interrupt their Christmas shopping. Many were out on the streets looking for decorations, some were compiling ideas on what delectables they would need to buy in bundles for the season and others were seeking out the “fanciest” outfits for their children to wear at their highly anticipated school Christmas parties.
Roshnie Persaud was one of the many shoppers who was trying to get all that her home needs before other persons swoop in and take them. When she spoke to Stabroek News, she was shopping for clothes for her children to wear to their school party. She said that she did not take them along because of the “hustle and bustle” amidst the other shoppers and since she has three children she expected that it could be quite a task for her to manage them while also shopping.
Additionally, Persaud said that the reason she was shopping so early was so that she could get the best options. If you wait until you have a certain amount of money, she explained, you may not get to choose what you want, only what was left behind because other persons would have already bought them all.
Donna Sampson was also out shopping for school party clothes with her family. She said that the rain was not stopping them from getting what they had to get done. She said she walked with the children because she wanted them to choose what they wanted to wear.
Later in the afternoon, when the rains had eased, many more people flocked to Regent Street. Renay Sambach, who was out with her mother and sisters, said that with the rain out of the way the shopping was great but the congestion caused by so many other people on the road was a bit annoying.
