Boost in sales for back-to-school

Though the hustle and bustle have not reached the level of last-minute back-to-school shopping in previous years, some Bridgetown businesses are reporting favourable sales leading up to next Monday’s resumption of in-person classes.

When a team from Barbados TODAY visited the capital on Friday, Managing Director of Abed’s, Eddy Abed, said that while Barbadians have generally been out shopping for full uniforms, the quantity has declined because of the uncertainty still surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the rollout of face-to-face instruction at schools across the island.

“We found that, generally, parents are buying the entire package but whereas in September they would have bought four or five outfits, they are probably buying four or three [now]. It’s expected. We also are hopeful as school settles in, as the frequency of children going to in-person classes increases, that we would see that number also increase,” he said.

“At this stage in the game, everybody is being as cautious as they can be, trying to put themselves in the position that whichever way the ball bounces, we can accommodate.”

The businessman said that although he hoped sales would increase further in the coming days with the last-minute rush, he and other retailers fully understood the challenging financial situation most parents are in, with school restarting during a period of high unemployment caused by the pandemic.

“There are some people who are in a desperate situation and we would not want the children to be a direct result of that causality. In terms of us, we do have inventory that we have been carrying forward since last summer; equally, we are in this for the long haul. So, we have reordered new inventory that would be arriving in June this year for the new school year starting in September, so we are committed to the long term,” he said.

Abed, meantime, welcomed the lifting of the curfew and renewed calls for Crop Over, or an adjusted form of it being put up this year for the summer season.

“I’ve gone on record already in saying that I am extremely keen in seeing Crop Over restarted. I’m keen to see as many social events restarted with, of course, the adequate protocols in place.

“This drives not only Abed’s business but it drives so much other businesses, whether on the creative end, the ancillary end; and, more importantly, it gives us a diversity we can offer to visitors coming to this country. So I am very keen for it.

“The band leaders are not in a position to move forward because they need a clear indication as to what is going to happen. Will it be a spectacle as they have done in Trinidad, will it be a complete Carnival like they have done in St Vincent…? We need to be very clear on this, sooner rather than later,” he added.

Director of Sole Addiction Inc, Nancy Noumeh, also disclosed her establishment had seen increased sales over the last several days, with bags and shoes among the top purchases.

“More so shoes than backpacks. The parents are saving the backpacks from the last term they would have bought, but it’s still moving, it’s doing well. The school shoes I already brought in for the last term and they do have some supply issues with future stock, but it’s not affecting me because I already have my stock,” she said. (SB)