Capital shoppers hit stores over Christmas

Predictions that the country's economic woes could prompt Canadians to cut back significantly on their spending this past Christmas were not borne out by the level of retail activity seen in Charlottetown.
A survey of several retailers in the greater Charlottetown area Thursday found that sales for the Christmas season were, for the most part, on a par with those recorded in 2007.
In some cases sales even topped those recorded last year, albeit ever so slightly.
Reagh Ellis, who owns and operates Mark's Work Wearhouse in Charlottetown, said his December sales were pretty much even with last year. That's impressive given that Christmas 2007 was his best holiday season in 21 years.
"The major difference is that (in 2007), after Remembrance Day, the curve to Christmas was smoother,'' Ellis said.
"This year you would have a really strong day or really strong two days, then you would have a couple of slow days, then another good day. It was up and down . . . But in the end the numbers were pretty much on a par with last year. There might have been a small increase.''
Ellis said he had three of the biggest days in the store's history this past season.
His expectations for the next few months are business will slow down a little.
"January and February are traditionally the slowest months of the year. I don't expect to see any dramatic changes in the next few months.''
Les Wong of Home Hardware in Charlottetown also waxed positive about the 2008 Christmas season.
"We'd love every month to be December,'' Wong said. "We're very pleased with our sales figures for the month. The whole last quarter was good for us and we look forward to seeing sales continue to increase.''
Wong believes his inventory and the level of service his store provides factor into that equation.
"There was a lot of pessimism out there nationally, a lot of talk of recession but we didn't see it,'' Wong said.
He said he believes Home Hardware did well for a number of reasons, one of which is the fact he carries a lot of products designed to save the public money.
"We carry materials, for example, that enable people to do patch-up jobs around the home themselves instead of bringing in a contractor. We also carry products that help people save energy, which is something a lot of people want to do right now.''
Wong said he's optimistic P.E.I. won't experience the economic woes some parts of the country are seeing.
Joe Dow of Dow's Men's and Ladies Wear said they were nervous going into the Christmas season, but that in the end it proved not to be as bad as expected.
He described the season as interesting.
"We weren't expecting things to be that great. But in the end it wasn't that bad at all. We were close to last season. Boxing Week was very good for us.''
Dow said they exercised good business sense by keeping an eye on their inventory, controlling their buying for the store and putting on some good specials throughout the month.
Kathy Hambly, executive director of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce, said how the retail sector in Charlottetown fared this past Christmas depends on who you talk to, but generally speaking retailers here are
more positive than retailers in some other parts of Canada.
"We're somewhat more insulated here,'' Hambly said. "We don't see the dramatic highs and lows that some other parts of the country experience, like parts of Ontario that have large manufacturing sectors.''
Hambly said she will have a better grasp on how the retail sector in the greater city area is faring later this month.
"We have a meeting of retailers scheduled for Jan. 27 and we have a good cross-section of the retail community on deck for that meeting.''

Shakes Head: - June 21st, 2010 at 20:40:13

Were somewhat more insulated here, Hambly said.

Is this a typo or are Islanders really this ignorant when it comes to utilizing the correct words? This is an ISLAND...hardly more insulated than anywhere else. The correct word should be isolated (the spelling and pronunciation are not even close)!

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Maria: - June 21st, 2010 at 20:10:53

Insulated means to be protected from, or separated from.
PEI appears to have been protected so far from the economic woes that plague Ontario because of auto and manufacturing closures and lay-offs. So, I think in that sense using the word in the context of this article is not incorrect.

PEislander: - June 21st, 2010 at 20:10:00

Or, Shakes Head, are you really that ignorant?
Insulated: to place in an isolated situation or condition; segregate.

Maria: - June 21st, 2010 at 20:04:42

Insulated can mean to be separated from, be protected from, stand by itself.
PEI so far seems to have been protected from the economic woes that plague Ontario because of the closures and lay-offs in the auto and manufacturing sector. So, using the word in the context of this article is not incorrect.

Correct: - June 21st, 2010 at 20:01:17

To Shakes Head: I believe Hambly was referring to Prince Edward Island being insulated from the recession as compared to larger centers. The correct word is not isolated. You are not isolated from the cold, you are insulated from the cold. Just as we are not isolated from a recession we are insulated from a recession. It seems the only Islander that is really this ignorant when it comes to utilizing the correct words is you.

Trevor: - June 21st, 2010 at 19:44:38

Hambly's use of the word insulated in not inappropriate.

Sandy: - June 21st, 2010 at 19:39:57

Strange how retail sales are good and crashing everywhere else. Looks like Islanders haven't gotten the word these are the new hard times. Running up that credit card will come back to bite them big in the future.