Hundreds in final blast of Christmas shopping
Stabroek News
December 25, 2004
Kids were part of the downtown shopping craze yesterday as hundreds filled the streets.
Hundreds of last-minute shoppers filled the streets of downtown Georgetown yesterday, some with their children in tow looking for everything; from toys to home furnishings.
But this year vendors seem to outnumber shoppers confirming earlier cries from pavement sellers that people were hardly buying. Along Upper Regent Street, starting from the junction with Cummings Street, vendors were out in record numbers - from the larger dealers to the small peddlers.
The Christmas hustle was also evident on Water Street, where Fogarty's pulled in a large number of shoppers who were after groceries and gift items. Clothes vendors on Water Street were also doing good business as people combed the area looking for garments.
Stabroek News spoke with a few of the vendors to get an idea of how people have been spending and got mixed reactions. One man said that it was a one-time thing for him every year at Christmas, but he has a regular job. He said business usually picks up in the last week leading up to December 25 when there is what he calls "the mad rush". According to him, shoppers like the excitement of doing things at the last hour so people would hold out on the spending until that time has come.
Farther down Regent Street, Claire, a female vendor said she receives maximum returns at Christmas time. She said people would just stop and buy toys and glassware, which are most in demand. She described Christmas Eve day as the good sales day since things would really sell.
A few vendors recalled that last year more people were shopping. A male vendor acknowledged that people are out in their numbers this year, but he said business is slow. He added "things were hard this year" so it was expected that the spending would not have been of last year's magnitude.
Meanwhile, food vendors were in high praise of the season. One told Stabroek News she hardly had enough to feed everyone who is shopping at this time. The woman said food is always good business, but at Christmas the business booms given the amount of people who are on the road.
Many of the stores on Regent Street had only good things to say about the season. Several of them noted that people are shopping like crazy this year. According to them, appliances are going off the shelf, and so are home decorations like wall pictures and ornaments. Even small retail furniture stores on Regent Street have labelled Christmas a success since they have been able to sell despite the competition by giants such as Courts and Singers.
As Christmas closes in, vendors and store owners alike are looking forward for people to continue shopping right up until New Year. Many of them plan to re-open and be on the road after Boxing Day to meet the needs of customers.
Stabroek News caught up with a few overseas-based Guyanese who are home for the holidays. Several of them were just sightseeing, intrigued by the Christmas ambience in the streets and the enthusiasm of the shoppers.