Mixed review for 'shop till you drop'

CHRISTMAS IN the City, 'shop till you drop', in downtown Kingston last week, was not as massive as in previous years and received mixed reactions from merchants, vendors and shoppers.

From early Wednesday morning, eager shoppers were seen making their way into the heart of the city in search of bargains.

"The discounts neva nice like last year, but mi still fin' some deals," said one shopper, who gave her name only as Marie.

"I received some 20 per cent discount on a blender, but mi did hope dem would cut off a little more," she added.

A beaming Dunstan Whittingham, head of the Jamaica Vendors, Higglers and Markets Association, was in the thick of things and well satisfied with the day's performance, even as some merchants quietly claimed that the 'shop till you drop' was a flop.

"This has been a success for the vendors who are having one of their best days," Whittingham told The Gleaner.

"We the vendors have had so much sales and selling space more than any other time. All the JUTC buses have moved out of South Parade and we have the whole of that bus bay where there is a swarm of vendors," added Whittingham.

He had high praises for the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation, which was the main organiser of the shopping day and thanked the vendors for slashing their prices.

"You get sneakers of brand names going down as far as $2,500 or $3,000, and there is nowhere else in the world you will get that."

Fellow vendor Missy was also upbeat as shoppers picked up several slippers and underwear from her stall on Orange Street.

"It goin' very good and mi satisfied wid di sales," said Missy.

But one merchant, who requested that his name be withheld, claimed that there was no major boost in his sales.

The merchant told The Gleaner that the shoppers were fewer than last year.

Edward Matar, managing director of Matar & Hanna in South Parade, on Friday agreed, arguing that it was a gloomy period for his business.

"Based on what we are seeing now, things are gloomy. We have had a bad, bad month for December because of different elements, elections, et cetera. Wednesday was supposed to be a decent day, and we had music and lights and we lost half the sales," said Matar

Manager of Kingston Bookshop, Ruel Matthie, agreed that sales were down when compared to previous years even though the crowd was present in downtown Kingston.

"I think it's the election and people don't have the money," said Matthie.

The day ended with a free concert, and some shoppers and vendors already planning for the 2012 'shop till you drop'.

arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com