CHRISTMAS TRADE

Taranaki Daily News, 29 December 1923, Page 6

CHRISTMAS TRADE

■‘A GREAT WEEK.” BIG CASH TURNOVER RETAILERS WELL PLEASED, “A great week,” is the universal opinion of the retailers of New Plymouth concerning the trade of the Christmas season. All report more customers and a bigger cash turnover, which has easily eclipsed the high returns of Christmas, 1922. A pleasing fact, also, is that good trade is still being done, the visitors in the town patronising the shops freely, though naturally most of their purchases are of a small nature. The Christmas trade seems to have started in real Earnest towards the beginning of last week, although the heavy rain of Monday and Tuesday did not provide too auspicious an opening for the season. However, Wednesday and Thursday showed a big improvement, which developed into a rush on Friday, the summer's day drawing big crowds into town. So great was the volume of business done on Friday several retailers told a Daily News reporter yesterday that the returns for the day equalled those of Christmas £ve last year. On Saturday morning there was again a rush, which culminated on Christmas Eve, when, despite the rain in the afternoon, large crowds thronged the streets and shops. Two late nights close together just before Christmas had the effect of distributing the business over several days, but despite this the staffs in the shops were compelled to work at high pressure to cope with the demands of their customers.

PEOPLE BUY FREELY. “The people came freely and bought freely,” said a leading toy and fancy gcods dealer, when discussing the season’s trade. He found a ready market for his bigger and more expensive wares,, but the cheaper goods also went well. Of the big celluloid dolls that are so popular, he disposed of over 80, quite a number of people ordering them early in the month to be held until Christinas, of his returns, the retailer stressed the great reduction that had been made in the prices of fancy goods and toys. While he thought that a ’fifty per cent, increase over last year might be a trifle wide of the mark, nevertheless he was of opinion that the larger number of customers would make up to a very great extent any shrinkage in returns due to the easing of values“We are quite satisfied with what we have done,’’ said another shopkeeper, this time a retailer of boots and shoes. “The whole month has been a good one with us,” he added. All classes of .bodts and shoes, high, medium and low grade, had found a ready sale, indicating that all classes of the community were spending freely. He accounted for a great dtal of the increased business by reason of the lower prices this year than last Christmas, quoting as an instance boots that were formerly retailed at 70s a pair now selling at 50 s. Last year, also, the lowest price in one line of shoes was 27s 6d; this year it was 15s 6d, and there were corresponding falls with respect to practically all of his other stocks. One surprising feature of the Christmas trade this year that had forced itself upon his notice, the retailer added, was the way m which men had postponed making their purchases until practically the last minute. Generally, he said, men bought their Christmas boots and shoes early in the season, but this year he had more men customers on Friday. Saturday and Monday than ever before.

USEFUL PRESENTS. The oft-repeated statement that the public were buying bigger articles this Christina.- than hitherto is, supported by the experience of the manager of one of the larger furniture warehouses. He had been surprised at the way the Christman trade had developed, and at the ready manner in which sales had been made of substantial pieces of furniture. Evidently a big crowd of people had decided to include at least one useful article for the home in their Christmas purchases, and even sewingmachines, not usually regarded in the lioht of a Christmas speciality, hn.l been bought fairly freely. Naturally, the manager said, most of his trade was done just prior to Christmas to allow of delivery before the holiday season opened, but on Christmas Eve a largo amount of business was dohe in portable articles. The volume of trade that pasfeed through the drapers’ and grocers’ -hops has put these retailers in a very happy frame of mind. Ability to give the public a wider range off choice at lower prices is mentioned as a contributing factor to the increased business. A grocer said that his return- wete very much higher than last year. He had made a speciality of stocking an extra high class of goods, and said that the way in which they had lieen bought had more than justified his confidence in the taste and buying powers of the Now Plymouth public. One draper said ihat the Christmas season was thl» best he had experienced since he had commenced business. Jewellers, confectioners and fruiterers also report that business was above last year.

♦ THE COUNTRY TRAIN. Concerning the shopping hours, a remarkable feature this year was the way in which the public patronised the shops which were open on Thursday morning. One retailer said that, whereas he usually closed down at eleven o’clock or half-past eleven on the second day of the races, this year it was one o'clock before he got away. He added that other retailers to whom he had spoken had mentioned that they had had the same experience, customers making some small purchaser; which had been forgotten in the rush of Christmas Eve. Regarding t’m special train which was run from Stratford to New’ Plymouth on Christmas Eve, the chairman of the New Plymouth Retailers’ Association (Mr. J. Austin) said that, taking into account the unfavourable weather, the retailers who guaranteed the train were perfectly satisfied. A fair number of people came by it, but what really justified the arrangement was the fact that between *2OO and .100 people who had come to New’ Plymouth during the day left at the close of the evening by the return special train, which ran as far south as Hawera. “We are going to continue to have the train,” Mr. Austin said. “On the next occasion it will either be a free train (N will be run at rates?’.