CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18587, 22 December 1934, Page 6

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

TOWN CROWDED TO DAY

IMPROVING BUSINESS

LAST YEAR EXCEEDED

Christmas shopping is now commencing in earnest. The town was crowded to-day, and the traffic appeared to he greater than for any time during the day since last Christmas Eve.

The diversion occasioned by the arrival of the Duke of Gloucester was responsible for some people delaying certain of their Christmas shopping, but with the Royal visitor departed townspeople are beginning to settle down to make their final purchases for flic, festive season.

The. crowd, which was in town to-day seemed to be shopping freely, and the staffs of business houses were kept busy. Retail premises are remaining open for the Saturday night period to-night, and no doubt many thousands of people will he attracted to do their shopping. The usual; Christmas Eve late shopping night will be observed on Monday, when simps will remain open till 10 o’clock, and with two lute nights in succession the business men will be observing what might be termed a double Christmas Eve.

So far, most retailers report’improved business compared with last year, which was the best for some time.' Improvements have been noted year by year recently in trading conditions, and the present Christmas period promises to be the best since the commencement of the slump. Steady business, without any suggestion of a rush, has been experienced so far up till to-day, when very heavy arrivals of shoppers into the main street began. The volume of businoss was expected to increase rapidly throughout the day, the culminating point, of course, being on Monday night.