Shopping dips ahead of Christmas but mall retailers brace for last-minute crowd

As Christmas Day approaches, retailers in malls are grappling with slower-than-anticipated foot traffic, raising concerns about their holiday sales just one week before the festive season kicks off.

The apparent decline in in-person shopping, attributed to heightened competition from online marketplaces, has been a persistent trend throughout the year.

Tabari St Ville, a senior customer service representative at PromoTech computer store in the Dome Mall, said business is slower than the usual crowd of previous years.

“There was a trend throughout the year of like lower than normal,” St Ville said. “Certain times of the year we had a bigger dip but overall, I would say less foot traffic than we normally used to instead of these pockets. So we didn’t come into the holiday season expecting more because of the trend that we were seeing.”

He revealed that just days away from Christmas, they are beginning to see a slight increase in traffic: “We’ve seen a bit of a pickup and we are assuming that this week is going to be much, much better.”

He added: “Even today we just started, we had a good set of people. So assuming that the trend can start from today, the pickup.”

St Ville said he anticipates promotional activities at the mall over the weekend will drive even more customers to their doors.

Another Dome Mall business hoping to attract a new crowd during the holiday is Café 195 and Bistro, which has been buzzing with activity following a recent renovation. Rennie Gajadhar, the company’s chief of staff, expressed excitement about the prospects of the business since reopening.

Gajadhar said: “We just reopened inside the cafe as you see here, we reopened last Monday, just before Christmas. The Café 195 has a really loyal customer base. So there were a lot of people who continued to come when the cafe was closed, continued to come, get their coffee, get their food, take away.”

He described the reaction from customers to the renovation: “A lot of the customers didn’t know what was happening in here. So when they come in and they see the place for the first time, they’re like, ‘wow’, they can’t believe you know, the transformation. So yeah, everybody’s really excited.”

He noted that their extended opening hours are likely to attract new customers, especially the Christmas crowd who may be looking for something beyond the usual hours.

“The plan was to also create a space, especially in this area, Warrens, where there’s not a lot to do, you know, lunch, et cetera. But we also want to create a nightlife here. So we have extended the hours of the café. Sunday to Wednesday is open to 7 p.m., and then Thursday, Friday, Saturday, we’re open late.”

He added, “We’re also doing happy hours during the week for like the after-work kind of crowd. So we really want to create something that doesn’t exist in Warrens right now.”

As payday approaches and the holiday countdown continues, many are counting on the final rush of shoppers to boost sales. Michelle Branch, a local retailer who has been in business for four years, said she hasn’t seen as many paying customers this year compared to previous ones.

“I think by maybe the 10th, last year, you saw an increase in sales. This year I would say from about last weekend, you saw an increase, but it’s not quite as significant as it was last year.”

She said she believed that most of her customers will come from those who won’t be able to order online in time for the holiday. “I think maybe people are doing a lot more online shopping because, you know, you hear the chatter. I think a lot of people are doing more online shopping, the Amazons, the Sheins, and stuff like that and only last-minute shopping that, you know, the shipping is not gonna accommodate the last-minute shopping.”

She anticipated that with the changes in demand for less pricey items, they have made some adjustments to accommodate those looking for lower price points. “People are passing through and I guess it has to coincide with when they get paid as well. So I’m guessing maybe later in the week they’ll come through. But mostly gift ideas, the sprays, the perfumes and stuff like that. We did a little change up for the holiday season because, you know, not many people are into sports right now, so we’ll see them in January. So we just changed it up for the December period. The response has been reasonably okay for sprays, creams, and small gifts. People are watching their budget.”

Stores in Skymall are also experiencing slow traffic. One boutique manager noted that customer numbers have been sporadic: “Business now picking up; normally we see more customers the week before.”

Although the mall has extended its hours to 9 p.m., there is little hope for significantly increased sales.

(LG)