Shops taking early march on Christmas fear the worst

Who needs trees in a pandemic? Christmas shop owners speak of uncertainty as festive season gets overshadowed by COVID-19

All I want for Christmas is to make COVID-19 go away
All I want for Christmas is to make COVID-19 go away

The shops trying to steal a march on Christmas by opening early into the year to flog decorations and trees say they are in for a difficult festive season ahead, as the COVID-19 pandemic brings more uncertainty for business owners.

With October well underway, Christmas shops have started opening around all Malta and Gozo. But some retailers fear the worst.

Alistair Christmas Shop in Birkirkara has been open since 1 October, with customers already coming in. “People are looking forward to Christmas, and so we have started to see people buying already,” a store representative said, who ventured a prediction that business will be better than last year. “I think people will stay more and more at home, and so we are seeing that it will be a better Christmas than last year.”

But a representative from the Mega Christmas Shop, also in Birkirkara, told MaltaToday that response from customers had been weak. “We started back in September like every other year, but people have been afraid to come out and shop,” she said, fearing their early march on the season has counted for nothing. “We’ve had containers ordered for months now; they’re already on their way and there’s no way of returning them back. We are taking a very big risk, and we hope it pays off.”

The owner of The Christmas Shop in Rabat, Gozo said that while it was too early to predict how sales will fare, a difficult time ahead was being predicted. “We’re looking to fast-track our opening date, having planned to open two weeks prior when compared to previous years.

Despite the uncertainty that lies ahead, all three establishments are looking to hit the ground running once the festive season truly gets underway. But the Mega Christmas Shop was expecting customers to just buy the bare minimum. “People last year would sweep the shop. This year they just buy a Christmas tree and lights,” she said.

The Christmas Shop owner said he believes there will be no change in shopping trends. “I think people will either buy or they won’t,” he said.

All three Christmas shops said that the lack of festive activities and events will affect them either directly or indirectly. The impact will be felt the hardest by Alistair Christmas Shop and The Mega Christmas Shop, who are engaged to decorate hotels, parties and venues. “If we don’t have parties, it will affect us. We decorate events and parties; therefore, it will be very difficult for us,” the Mega Christmas Shop said.