WITH less than a week to go before Christmas, vendors in downtown Kingston are concerned about the slow pace of business in the normally bustling shopping hub.
“Things are going really slow in terms of sales,” one vendor, Mervin Dickson, told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.
He, like his colleagues, believe the slow business was a reflection of the prevailing economic hardships and dwindling disposable income.
“It has reached a stage where people are hardly coming out to buy anything,” said Dickson, who operates a fruit stall outside the famous Coronation Market.
His comments were echoed by another vendor, Janet Findley.
“Based on how things look, we (vendors) are really worried. The people dem nuh have nuh money to spend; is more sellers than buyers wi seeing,” she stressed.
Their colleague Fitzroy Shaw, however, was more hopeful.
“Things are bad, but right now I am just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that things will improve in coming days,” Shaw told the Observer.
Antoinette Brown, who operates a shop on Princess Street, was equally hopeful.
“I know Christmas is just around the corner, but I am just hoping that the holiday spirit will encourage some shoppers to come out and spend,” she said.