The Christmas shopping season is upon us, but this year, shoppers do not appear to be out in full force like previous years.
With the coronavirus pandemic keeping many people from venturing out and instead doing more online shopping, the Retail Council of Canada is concerned about the toll this Christmas shopping season will have on businesses, especially smaller ones.
“It is is highly critical,” said Greg Wilson with the Retail Council of Canada. “This is when they do the bulk of their annual sales in retail.”
Laura-Ann Kavanagh has owned the Wardrobe Boutique in the Pandosy Village area for nearly two decades and has never seen a Christmas shopping season quite like this.
“There would be more hustle and bustle out on the street,” Kavanagh told Global News. “There would be more of a hustle and bustle in here.”
Kavanagh didn’t give an estimate but said sales are definitely down at her clothing store with fewer shoppers out and about.
“It’s just not the volume that we would have at all,” she said.
She also said that with no parties allowed this year, the store is taking a hit when it comes to selling party dresses.
“This weekend would’ve been the biggest party weekend of the season. The first weekend of December is one of our biggest, and so we would’ve been dressing ladies,” Kavanagh said.
She also said what she’s noticed is that people that are shopping locally are doing it a lot earlier than in years past, and she has a suspicion why.
“There’s the uncertainty whether we were going to be open up until Christmas,” she said.
Kavanagh is not alone. A number of shops that Global Okanagan contacted reported a drop in customers and sales.
“The local businesses are really suffering right now,” Wilson said.
“It would be sad for us, if at the end of this, main streets in downtown Kelowna for example and Bernard had too many shuttered storefronts … we want places like Orchard Park to remain vibrant and interesting after the pandemic.”
The Retail Council of Canada is warning that despite store closures early on in the pandemic, the second wave could be even more damaging because of the timing.
“The first wave was very damaging to retail businesses, but it came at a less critical time of year,” Wilson said.
“This is coming at a very bad time of year for us, and so it’s more critical. So the expectation is that it could be very damaging.”
But the Retail Council of Canada said consumers do have the power to soften the blow by supporting local.
“You can shop in non-traditional ways at this time. You can do your orders over the telephone, you can do them off the small, local retailer’s website by email,” Wilson said.
“If you want to protect that merchant that’s been there for you over the years, now is the time to show them your loyalty.”
Kavanagh said she’s optimistic retail traffic will eventually be back on track.
“Us closing in March and re-opening in June, that was a lesson that I could see in a positive way that people came back … July and August, they came back and I know they will again.”