Shops stocked, but shoppers scarce
Christmas is in the air; especially Colombo city has come alive with decorated shops and stocked up shelves; but shoppers and traders have mixed reactions. “Christmas isn’t complete without shopping," 28-year-old Shiromi Fernando from Wellawatte said, adding that, the price was not a problem for her because if she wanted something badly she didn't mind spending a little extra.
Discounts of up to 30 per cent in addition to other promotions are on offer for electronic items, shoes, clothing and toys.
Banks are also cashing in on the festive season: one is offering a 25 per cent discount off clothing and accessories on their credit cards at selected shops and others are offering attractive reduced hotel rates.
Airlines too are offering special holiday packages to popular holiday destinations like Malaysia and Singapore.
"We often complain about the Christmas creep but the fact is many shoppers are looking to spread the cost while others want to get their shopping done early," says Sarath Jayawardene (56) a vendor at Pettah.
"Now it's common to see Christmas merchandise on shelves by beginning of November," he adds.
"Christmas goods may be on the shelves but shoppers wait for seasonal discounts," said Mrs Perera (45) a shop owner at a leading shopping mall in Colombo. "In fact, many shoppers today know that the first half of November is actually the worst time to do Christmas shopping," she said.
Despite the crowds at the city's malls, almost six in ten people said they prefer to shop at smaller stores, while about one in five prefer shopping online.
Fifty-seven year old, trader M. Mohammed doesn't seem to be troubled that the number of shoppers has not picked up. “We have people coming to inspect our merchandise as our new designs are eye-catching but the price tags are quite hefty,” he said.
"They will return later to place orders,” he said confidently. “The busiest days are after December 20 – that’s when we expect our sales to go up".
He also added that he felt although the price of the goods are high the purchasing power among the upper middle class customers has gone up. "This is good for business,” he said. However, on the other side of the divide, customers complain that although there is a wide range of choices they are unable to spend as much as they would because of the high cost of living”.
A textile shop owner in the city Ranjani Peiries (55) said he hasn't yet seen improvement in sales. "We hope that business would pick up after people get their Christmas bonuses,” she said.