The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

SOME retailers report a boom in sales as people continue their last-minute shopping before Christmas.

The Tribune canvassed the southwest plaza yesterday, where dozens of residents dashed into stores to catch holiday sales. Some stood in long lines to buy items while others waited for their presents to be wrapped.

Stacy Meadows, Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) supervisor at the plaza, said business was booming and sales were up. She said many people had come to purchase the popular brands of cell phones or services.

For some, a high-end cell phone is too expensive, considering inflation, the high cost of living, and the unemployment rate in the country. However, Ms Meadows said the price of BTC devices has declined compared to last year.

“When it comes to selling of the devices, it’s a steady process year around and especially starting from Black Friday on with the Christmas,” she said. “Each year is an improvement when it comes to the selling of devices and services.”

Brent Burrows, Jr, CBS Bahamas’ vice president of retail and sales, said they saw an uptick in online shopping. He noted some shoppers wanted to avoid the stress of physically going to the store to purchase items.

“This year, in addition to our normal Christmas sales event, we’ve launched our ‘12 Days of Savings’ sale. Every day we release a new item with massive savings both online and in-store,” he said.

Kendrick Williams, ALIV’s manager at the southwest plaza, said business was going great, with a bigger buzz among customers than last year.

“The new iPhone 15 is a hot seller right now and then you also have the Samsung Z flip,” he said. “So, we’ve been seeing sales pick up in them a lot. Also, the Nokia getting back into the swing of things, a lot of persons have been coming in getting those as well.”

He also said the prices of ALIV’s items have decreased compared to last year.

Keva Ingraham, representative of 700 Wines & Spirits Shirley Street, said customers were stocking up on drinks for Christmas parties, dinners, and New Year’s events.

She said she believed the store had more sales this Christmas than last year, which was slower. She noted some people were still unemployed after the COVID-19 pandemic and couldn’t afford to purchase items.

Some items in the store had increased by 15 per cent in price earlier this year. But Ms Ingraham said many customers still bought alcohol, though some argued they could find rum cheaper at Chinese businesses.

Branon Chandler, supervisor of Sherwin-Williams Paints, said sales were moving steadily. He was confident more sales would come in closer to Christmas, noting Bahamians are last-minute shoppers.