Shopping for the Endless Supply of T-Shirts

Tuesday 23rd of December 2008 05:20:02 PM

Shopping for the Endless Supply of T-Shirts

This time of year is often a make-or-break season for many retailers. The perilous state of the economy this year has made it an uncertain season too. But in the UK, consumers decided now was the time to shop in order to take advantage of deep price reductions meant to attract shoppers. Store inventories are high due to the slow buying that has marked the season thus far, so shoppers will find everything in endless supply from cheap t-shirts to expensive footwear and accessories. The massive price cuts have proven to be a great draw and it is hoped the shoppers out this week before and after Christmas will salvage declining retail sales numbers.

The make or break sales this week are dependent on last minute shoppers before Christmas and bargain hunters after Christmas. In the US, the day after Thanksgiving was called “Black Friday” in reference to the importance of that one day of shopping for bringing retailers out of the red and into the black in terms of profits. In the US and UK, it is hoped there will be another “Black Friday” after Christmas. Stores are cutting prices up to 70% in Great Britain and Scotland. A representative of the Kingdom Shopping Centre in Glenrothes, Fife said the shopping centre is doing better than the national average. He was quoted as saying, “I think footfall is slightly down on last year. I think the national average is down 4% to 5%, but we’re only down 1.5% on last year. Footfall is certainly busy enough, the big question we’ll find out after Christmas is have they spent?” Other shopping centres reporting healthy footfall business include St. Nicholas and Bon Accord in Aberdeen, and the Thistle Centre in Stirling. London’s West End has reported over half a million people have been shopping in the area stores. The West End has over 600 retailers located on Bond, Oxford and Regent streets.

A New West End Company representative said, “We will see the UK tourist shoppers coming up from the south-east and south-west of the county, and we have already had huge amounts o shoppers coming from Europe. The number of European shoppers is up 30% from last year. They are attracted by the fact the pound is almost at parity with the Euro and they are after the big fashion labels we sell.”

(c)Image by Kym McLeod, www.sxc.hu/