Across the nation: ‘Not even whole chicken selling again’ - Recession hits but St. Ann businesses still hopeful
Carl Gilchrist, Gleaner Writer
Business operators in St. Ann have complained of slow sales throughout the holiday season, saying that while sales were slow last year, this year was even worse.
However, they have expressed the hope that the season will end on a much better note than it started.
“Business is bad. Not even whole chicken selling anymore as the price keeps rising every week. In other years people would do early shopping but I haven’t really seen any significant step-up from last year. But I’m still hoping they will do so,” said a spokesperson from Seow’s Supercentre in Ocho Rios.
She said Seow’s, a leading outlet in Ocho Rios for groceries, haberdashery, house wares, fruits and vegetables, had adopted a different strategy to combat the slow sales.
“The strategy is to not buy a lot of stuff, except what we know usually sells at this time such as baking items and food,” she explained.
At Northern Cash and Carry, business seems to have come to a near halt, according to the manager.
“Business is very, very, very, very slow,” complained Joan Chin, manager at the St Ann’s Bay based outlet, one of the parish’s leading wholesale and retail outlets for groceries, liquors and other items.
“Last year it wasn’t all that busy, but by this time we had started to see some movement. It’s slow all around,” Chin said.
slow sales
A similar situation was explained by Marjorie Shand, owner of Square One Foods, a popular supermarket with outlets in St Ann’s Bay and Ocho Rios. She said both outlets were experiencing slow sales.
“It looks like Christmas postponed, this is slower than normal,” Shand lamented when The Gleaner spoke with her.
Shand said, normally, a few weeks before Christmas business operators would start seeing some activities but there were none this year; at least not yet.
The signs are even on the streets as the usual buzz of activity is somewhat subdued.
One woman who spoke with The Gleaner said she intended to spend the same amount of money that she was spending last year this time; the main difference, according to her, is that the same amount of money now brings in less goods.
At Ocho Rios’ leading variety store, Vintage Retailers, sales were said to be slow.
hoping for better
“It’s sort of slow right now,” said a spokesperson at the store. “Hopefully, it will be a little better by weekend.”
The start of the winter tourist season brings a ray of hope that things could be better, especially with the Jamaica Tourist Board recording nearly 20,000 arrivals on the first weekend of the season’s start.
President of the St Ann Chamber of Commerce, Horace Wildes, remains optimistic on business picking up for the sector, citing the tourism factor, along with the return to full production by Noranda Bauxite (formerly St Ann Jamaica Bauxite) in Discovery Bay.
“The merchants are still hopeful they will see better sales by the end of the (Christmas) season. Bauxite is back at full production and the tourist season has started, hopefully these will have a positive impact on sales.”
He however acknowledged the fall in the spending power of the public.
“Up to this point which, most persons agree that sales are down,” Wildes said. “My research has shown that several establishments, such as the larger furniture stores which normally employ holiday workers, have had to lay off these workers. Fast food establishments, groceries and so on are reporting normal sales. People seem to be buying just the essential items such as food.” (Jamaica Gleaner)