Christmas sales are coming slowly but surely for some of the stores in Speightstown, St Peter.
With just nine days left until Christmas, retailers shared mixed reactions on the response from shoppers this season.
While some reported a satisfactory spike in sales, others lamented the slow churn as fewer people were venturing into the northern town than years past.
Juanette Marshall, of JJ’s Young Touch & Baby Care, was one retailer who lamented the slow traffic along the area, noting that sales had become a struggle.
“People don’t really come to Speightstown to shop until about two or three days before Christmas so I’m just waiting until that time comes,” she said.
Shopper Vicki-Ann Johnson, who has lived in St Peter most of her life, said it was painful to see the once popular shopping spot turn into a ghost town.
“It’s disappointing to see the level of things and the level of people right now. I work in Bridgetown and I do not get the chance to come into St Peter but when I pass through, from years back, it is typically a ghost town. And it’s disappointing because St Peter is an awesome place,” she said.
Johnson, who was shopping at Dollarwise, said that she would place less focus on shopping and urged others to focus on the true spirit of the season.
“You have to remember that it’s not just you and your house. You have to remember that there would have been people who were really kind to you and those that are in need also,” she said.
Other stores like Do It Best were boasting a positive return in sales despite a slow start to the season, said e-commerce manager Raquel Raizman.
“The beginning of this (last) week has been crazy. Every year, we know Christmas is coming but you don’t know when the rush is going to [be]. This is the first year we actually have a dedicated Christmas section and it’s doing very well.
“[There has] been a huge jump in sales but the truth is that for Christmas in Speightstown, as far as hardware is concerned, sales are quite consistent and we have everything people need from paint and housewares so people will come here,” she added.
Likewise, Antoinette Atherley, the supervisor at Signature Bags, said this Christmas was the store’s first one at the Speightstown location and sales were looking positive.
“It is picking up slowly as it gets closer to the holiday season and we are finding an increase in foot traffic this (last) week compared to last year.
“We know people were complaining about the economic situation but we’re hoping that, along with the tourists and the locals, that things will pick up,” she said.
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