With barely less than two weeks to the Christmas festivities, traders in the Central Business District of Sekondi-Takoradi in the Western Region, on Tuesday said they expect sales to pick up around what they call ‘pay day’ from the current slow start.
They noted that some customers preferred to wait till mid-December in anticipation of procuring the latest in clothing and footwear designs as well as brands befitting the festivities.
Christmas commemorates the birth of Christ Jesus and forms one of the major events on the Christian calendar.
It is also a period for giving to reflect the generosity of God who gave His only begotten Son Jesus hence, celebrants around the world, usually give to one another and go to church services, parties and other social events, in beautiful new clothing and splendid hairstyles.
This usually leads to a boom in the purchase of seasonal merchandise, especially for children.
When the iGoghana Team visited the Takoradi Market Circle and its environs, it was observed that some few shops had been decorated with Christmas ornaments to indicate the mood and readiness for the season except big shops and offices.
Some of the people who spoke with the iGoghana said they were preparing to hang them in the coming week.
Maame Afua Akyereba at the Collins Avenue, a sales representative of a shop, which deals in Christmas items said, she was hopeful that business would be brisk at the turn of next week close to the Christmas holidays as has mostly been the case.
“Last year, it wasn’t very encouraging around this time but the holiday sales were significant in the end. I know that when our customers who work with the corporates receive their December salaries we will see some good action”, she recounted.
Maame Mensima, a Floral and Décor shop owner at the Market Circle Post Office area also explained that some of the customers had been engaging in window shopping in order to plan their shopping budgets.
She indicated that sales were at their regular pace for her, but the level was good and could only be better in the coming days.
Madam Esi Sesewa, a hairdresser and a trader in wig caps, however, expressed pessimism at cashing in on the season and said the trend of patronage had been discouraging due to price hikes on the market.
According to the traders, they do not anticipate the increment in the prices of their goods because the cedi had remained relatively stable for some time now but attributed the low patronage to economic hardships in the country.
