‘Water more than flour!’ - Vendors say 2020 Christmas season doesn’t look promising

Tis' the season of uncertainty. Vendors in downtown Kingston are not as optimistic as they'd usually be at this time of the year, as the Christmas season approaches.

Due to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, vendors are hesitant to stock up on goods.

"I'm not sure if I'm going to buy any goods this year because the season is so slow. Nothing is going on ... people are just buying food and stuff like that. We just deh here a gwaan try same way," Marlene Malcolm told THE STAR.

Typically at this time, vendors couldn't be away from their stalls downtown. But when THE STAR visited West Street, Malcolm was sitting in shade and doing a crossword puzzle.

"Usually at this time, I would be looking to buy some man clothes ... pants, shirts, shorts, woman clothes and stuff like that. But mostly, I focus on the men stuff. Things would have to change and now a October and me nuh see nothing a gwaan. So, it's like me just have to sell what I have now," she said. "I don't have any money to buy anything! And if I did even have the money to buy, it would be a risk cause I don't know if nothing a go gwaan. So, me wouldn't even buy goods same way."

Jamaica on Sunday recorded seven more COVID-19 deaths, increasing the tally to 146. Three more deaths are under investigation. There were 95 new cases, pushing the total to 7,813 with 4,325 being active.

Nothing jolly

Sherese, another vendor, says there's nothing jolly about being a vendor during this pandemic.

"Me nuh know if we a live fi see Christmas. Me just a watch and see. A more water than flour! I don't have no money to buy any goods. Business is very slow. We get burn out and we were just trying to build back and corona is on us," she related. "I'm just looking and hoping for the best. I'm not making any plans for Christmas. Things are very bleaky. We are just focused on the corona situation, so we just take the day as it comes and hope and pray for the best so we can get over this thing."

But Garfield Thompson is very optimistic that Christmas will be a turning point. Thompson, who has been vending for seven years, told THE STAR he will be ordering goods for December.

"For all my years out here, the Christmas period usually up, so me a hope this Christmas can be good because business slow from March come down. It kinda rough yah now. It slow during the week but on a Saturday, it might pick up little bit. Me just afi watch and see how the thing a run," Thompson said. "People will mostly buy food than clothes. I sell clothes and pots and kitchen utensils. Usually at Christmas time, dem thing deh go hard because people come and buy new things fi upgrade dem place. But I am looking forward to this Christmas."

Meanwhile, Karlene says: " I have runners and I don't see much sales. Last year this time, all of them finished because people a look forward fi dem Christmas cleaning and decorating. It look like none a dat nah gwaan this year."