Business owners, vendors entice shoppers with discounts

3428202

CHARLES KONG SOO

With excess goods and stocks on their hands leading up to Christmas day, store owners and vendors alike are offering sales, bargains, reduced prices, and discounts on their products in a bid to entice customers to shop in downtown Port-of-Spain.

Many business owners reported a general decline in sales as compared to the previous years’ Christmas sales, some attributed the disappointing sales to COVID-19 and the resultant loss of jobs and buying power and the inclement weather over the last week and on Christmas Eve was also a factor in hampering more people from shopping in the nation’s capital.

Speaking to the Sunday Guardian on Christmas Day, Jonathan Chams, owner of the Linen World on Henry Street said “This is the first time we’re opening for Christmas. We just opened the Port-of-Spain branch; it’s a good day.

“We just opened for four hours to give last-minute shoppers some specials to buy to put away in their houses on Christmas Day.

“It’s a little bit slow; it’s Christmas, everybody’s home with their families, but we still get a good turnout little by little.

“People are buying blackout panels, quilts, comforters, bed sheets, curtains with panels, mats, rugs, blankets, household towels and we’ll be offering 20 per cent discount on Boxing Day.”

Grayson Joseph, from Port-of-Spain, a customer at Linen World said he was doing some renovations and came for blackout curtains.

He explained that he didn’t want to shop during the ‘big rush’ during the week, the Christmas opening was very convenient to him as well as for people who did last-minute shopping.

Jade Sandy, sales clerk/cashier from Tech Access electronics store on Frederick Street said Christmas Day was not so busy. He said, however, some customers came for additional gifts for children.

Sandy said sales weren’t as busy as last year, still, the store’s electronic items, cellphones and accessories, toys and video games sold well.

He said their two best sellers for Christmas were firesticks, and Amazon tablets, the store was also opening on Boxing Day and should be busier than Christmas Day hopefully.

A Charlotte Street vegetable vendor with 24 years of experience said they usually came out on Christmas Day, however, a lot of excess goods remained on their hands.

He lamented that there was more rain than sales, they were accustomed to encountering rain but not on Christmas Eve.

Mark Todd, who has been vending for 15 years on Charlotte Street slept overnight guarding his haberdashery, slippers and toys on his stalls.

He disclosed that the pandemic slowed down everything, he was tired, exposed to the sun and rain, the latter washed out Christmas.

Todd explained he had to sell out his items, that can’t stay a year otherwise they will dry rot.

“Toymaster” said they were offering bargains on the assortment of toys, remote-controlled cars and dolls and bicycles were reduced from $1,000 to $500 or $600.