Last-minute shoppers throng City, brave traffic, crowds

City sidewalks were busy sidewalks, teeming with Christmas Eve shoppers on Tuesday, as last-minute gift-seekers and holiday preparers braved heavy traffic and crowded pavements.

Despite economic challenges, retailers reported satisfactory sales, with some noting shifts in consumer trends and spending patterns.

In Swan Street, it was challenging not to bump into another pedestrian while traversing the area, and every road artery connected to town was backed up with traffic stretching long distances for extended periods of time.

A Barbados TODAY team spoke to some vendors and management of various establishments to get a sense of business during the holiday season. They mostly reported that they were generally pleased with sales, stating that, as was tradition each year, foot traffic and purchases increased as Christmas drew close.

Sales representative at Bionic Men’s Store Christie Yearwood said business was good.

“The season has been going good for us. We bought stuff that we know our customers like – things that are different. This year people went for a lot of velvet jackets, sparkles, patterns, printed shirts and crochet shirts as well. Those were the main sellers,” she said, adding that men wanted to look just as fashionable as women do. She added that there was also an uptick in traffic earlier this month as patrons wanted to get fly outfits for the respective staff parties.

Rodney Alleyne, general manager of The Men’s Room clothing store, said that things were slow compared with previous years but customers still passed through looking for outfits for church services, staff parties and Christmas Day in Queen’s Park.

“This year white seems to be the colour of choice even for the staff parties. The guys also came in for the traditional going into [Queen’s] Park, outfits, after going to church early. We find that younger men these days are stepping up their game and looking for classy styles,” he said. “This year things have been a little slow, it was not terrible, but not as good as years gone by. I guess it is just a sign of the times, people’s pockets are not as full as they used to be and people are trying to make do with what they have. We had quite a few guys coming in saying they would use a suit they had from last year and would just buy a new shirt and a tie.”

The proprietor of Jaysons, Chandru Thani, said he was grateful to those who maintained patronage throughout the years, even though business slowed down considerably. This year he opened a men’s section in the traditional female clothing store and has seen some improvement in sales.

He said: “I never complain. I think that there are lots more stores, a lot more competition so you have to be prepared. But we are known for our special service, my wife, my son, the entire family is around,” he said, adding that foot traffic increased around last Wednesday.

“A lot of people started to come to town that time,” Thani added. “We recently introduced a line of men’s wear . . . and we are looking forward to Old Year’s Night; we want to end the year on a big bang. We have lots of specials happening.”

Well-known Swan Street vendor Roger Don Goodridge of Don’s Toy City said he was satisfied with the level of sales he has been generating.

“Sales are pretty okay. Things are now starting to pick up due to the fact that a lot of people got paid late. Compared to last year, I would say things are the same but just late. Usually, by now, a lot of my stock would done sell but the money come late for the people,” he said.

Another street vendor, Nicole Carter, co-owner of EsNick Craft, said that the stackable crochet toys were her number one seller.

“For the past few days, things were slow at first but they have been picking up. Overall I am satisfied,” she said.

Vegetable vendors also reported that a lot of their stock had sold out on Tuesday. They said there was a rush of customers from as early as 5 a.m. and things started to die down about five hours later.

They also said some customers complained about price increases but were understanding given the island-wide shortages caused by the weather.

The main items that moved quickly were chives and herbs to make seasoning.

“It’s been going good, once you have what the people want everything selling. People want okras, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, thyme, marjoram, hot peppers and flavour peppers, those are the hot sellers,” said Cheapside vendor Angela Greene. “I came out at 5 a.m., and there was a rush of people, as you can see the trays lick down.”

She broke down some of the market prices. Okras are being sold for $4 per pound, cucumbers $2 per pound, yam $6 per pound, sweet potato $7 or $8 per pound, lettuce $3 and up.

“But people are adjusting because they aren’t plentiful,” she added.

Nadine Prince said that even though she has been making relatively good sales, she realised that customers were more focused on buying decorations and curtains for the holidays and cutting back on food.

She also complained that there was difficulty sourcing a lot of local produce such as sorrel.

Prince said: “It’s not like before but I give thanks for whatever I get. People came early in the morning, around 5; there was a crowd. But things die down now as you can see and a lot of things are sold out.”

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb