Bridgetown store owners are hoping for a bumper Christmas season, and Barbadian shoppers are already granting them their wish.
Although the morning started off pretty slow, by afternoon hundreds had descended on The City for the first Sunday shopping spree in Bridgetown.
At Courts Megastore in Jubilee Gardens, assistant store manager Donna McClean noted shoppers were taking advantage of the huge deals going on there.
The Nothing Down Until February 2011 and the Vat Ease Price Squeeze and several door buster offers caught the eyes of many.
McClean, who said the store was hoping for a “fantastic Christmas”, said that large appliances, beds and television sets were the main items people were cashing in on.
Farther along Lower Broad Street, manager at Diamonds International, Harry Sambhwani, said it was “yet early to judge”, but he was hoping things would pick up.
As live entertainment beckoned shoppers, Sambhwani stated: “You find that most people right now in these early stages just do their looking, but when they get their bonuses in hand, we expect it will be busy.”
Sambhwani said so far shoppers had been purchasing three particular favourites: the Crown of Light Silver Collection,
The Safi Kilima line where purchases come with a free necklace, and Movado watches.
Over at Little Switzerland in the DaCosta Mall, assistant manager Michelle Cox-Jordan said she too was wishing for an excellent season. She added the increase in traffic had already started and she was hoping it would continue.
The Two-Dollar Store on the corner of Prince William Henry Street is already recording great sales. Assistant store manager Chantal Brandford said shoppers had been purchasing a range of items to make gift baskets.
“Our Imperial Leather powders, Hannah Montanna, High School Musical and Harry Potter books have been selling like crazy. Knife sets, candles, art folders, toys for children – from the rich to the poor – have been coming in and filling up on their Christmas purchases,” she stated.
At Harrison’s, as shop manager Veronica Nicholls surveyed the number of in-house customers, she noticed the main purchases had been perfume, watches and selections from the new Land Collection.
“Our leather department has been doing very well, and they are a number of discounts coming up soon on our Customer Appreciation Day, so we expect shoppers will take advantage of those special items on sale then,” she noted.
Across the street at Cave Shepherd, it was bursting with activity. The toy department and that offering Christmas dresses and suits for children were filled with parents and children selecting various gifts and getting fitted.
Corporate communication manager Hugh Durant said the shopping had started and the linens, housewares, decorations and perfumes had been the main sellers.
“We’re positive that Barbadians will enjoy a reasonably good standard of shopping,” he stated.
On Swan Street, however, business remained a bit slow. Shoppers surveyed the variety of dried flowers, bathroom mats and curtains being offered, but mostly purchased nothing.
One store owner said it had been pretty slow and she was hoping things would pick up.
“I’ve had better seasons. I’ve had years that from the time I put out my flowers they were gone in no time, but it’s not so this year. I’m still being optimistic though,” she added. (CT)
