‘Tis shopping season already
It’s only October, not even Halloween yet, and already Christmas cards and decorations are sneaking their way into the stores. At big-box retailer The Warehouse, the first advent calendars started to appear in September, along with decorations, trees, cards, wrapping paper and confectionery.
‘‘Over the years Kiwis have indicated they want to start planning and budgeting for Christmas earlier, so in line with this we want to offer customers the opportunity to start purchasing their Christmas essentials in advance,’’ spokeswoman Julia Morton said.
‘‘However, the bulk of our Christmas offer isn’t in stores until after Labour Weekend.’’
Elsewhere, Christmas fever is also well advanced. Emma Smith, manager of The Palms mall in Christchurch, says many shops are well into the Christmas swing and so are shoppers.
‘‘They like to come and browse for a bit and get ideas for gifts. Since daylight saving – that’s really when shoppers and retailers start getting excited.’’
The Palms is one of the AMP Capital Shopping Centres, which this year has a focus on how Christmas affects the community, in particular the lonely, the less fortunate, and those with sensory issues.
For several years, The Palms has been running ‘‘Sensory Santa’’ and ‘‘Sensory Movie’’ sessions for autistic children.
Smith says Sensory Santa allow kids who might otherwise be overwhelmed to meet Santa before the centre opens. The sessions are always booked out.
‘‘It’s quite moving to have a family that’s never been able to have a family photo with Santa before it’s been too hard.’’
Biggest earner
For retailers, Christmas is the key season to turn a profit. So it’s no surprise they try to maximise it, says Chris Wilkinson of retail consultancy First Retail Group.
‘‘For some, there are subtle indicators coming through, like displays, while others are launching into full Christmas mode with decorations and seasonal merchandise up already,’’ he says.
Retailers begin planning Christmas in January, when they assess the performance of the last season.
‘‘The big brands have dedicated teams, signifying how important this is to their overall year,’’ Wilkinson says.
In addition to Halloween, another retail event gaining ground in New Zealand between now and Christmas is Black Friday, which falls on the day after Thanksgiving and is the official start of the American Christmas shopping season.
This year Black Friday is November 23 and it has become a day for deep discounts, even in New Zealand.
‘‘We would expect even more businesses will actively participate this year given growth in 2017,’’ Wilkinson says.
One business where Christmas is an all-year-round affair is The Christmas Heirloom Company, which has a retail chain selling decorations and runs a decoration service for malls and businesses.
The company says Christmas tree installations don’t generally go up until November, but its stores are open all year.
Most shoppers don’t start buying decorations until after Labour Weekend, although ‘‘You always get the Christmas lovers who start decorating early,’’ Shelley Bishop from the company’s head office, says.
Logistics feat
Snail mail might be slowing but, with more presents being bought online, logistics and delivery firms ramp up operations as early as September.
Online shopping has boosted New Zealand Post’s business at Christmas. Last year the company hired 600 extra staff and introduced 200 extra vans, 13 additional long-haul trucks, and an extra Boeing 737 to handle all its deliveries.
At The Warehouse Group, the retailer is preparing to hire up to 1700 temporary workers.
Greg Harford, public relations manager for Retail NZ, says Christmas is a great time for those interested in checking out a career in retail. People do not always realise there are many different roles available.
‘‘Within the retail sector, there’s a range of jobs covering everything from customer service, to marketing, logistics, IT, e-commerce and leadership.’’
Cricket and BBQs
Because we’re in the southern hemisphere, boardies, cricket sets and sundresses are the order of the day, as is picnic and barbecue-related food.
But thanks to online retailing, companies that specialise in more wintry products can also do well, as northern hemisphere shoppers discover them online.
In Hokitika, possum fur company The Possum People enjoys busy Christmases and closes only on Christmas Day.
Furry slippers and jumpers are very popular at Christmas, store assistant Christine Barton says. ‘‘A lot of visitors might buy something and get us to send things home.’’
Christmas Down Under is also often the start of a longer holiday period than in some countries. As a result, there’s pressure to get things more things done before the shutdown.
With so much other activity happening close to Christmas, it’s no surprise that much of the retail rush is pushed into the first three weeks of December.
Community focus
Many malls are also aware that Christmas is not always a great time of year for some people.
AMP is looking at the prospect of quiet places for the elderly, where they can escape the rush and chat with others.
In Australia, one of the company’s malls has even set up a ‘‘memory cafe’’ for people with memory problems.
Smith says there’s no space for that at The Palms at present, but it’s a great idea.