CHRISTMAS CLIMAX

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 78, 24 December 1937, Page 4

CHRISTMAS CLIMAX

Streets Crowded with Earnest Shoppers

THE FINAL PURCHASES Christmas shopping is now at its climax. The streets and shops are thronged with all those people who, for years, h'ave been busy ignoring tho exhortations of retailers to 'shop early.' Business is brisk and everyono is happy, except the postman who is staggering under largely increased burdens of letters, greeting cards and parcols — mainly parcr's. There is a joy in Christmas shopping that appeals to most people, and Hastings people this weelc are extraetingi from their shopping the last drop of that joy. Smiling faces appear in every direction, rlieir owners burclened with parcels small and large. Most cf the shoppers, of course, are women. The men in the streets rarely carry any parcels— it is beneath their dignity. Here and there, perhaps, some resourceful male may be seen doing the lion's share of the family shopping, large parcels persistently slipping from his grasp, small ones pendant from his fingers, with perhaps a eouple in his pockets; but for the most part it is tho womenfolk who are doing the shopping. They have the happy ability to plpugh through the most dense crowd, clutching parcels, and probably looking after small children at the same time, without becoming in the least ruffled. If they are wise their husbands stay home. If they are only partially wiso they stay outside the shops. If they are . downright foolish, they go inside, their ardour daxnpened by the struggle of getting in, of dodging small children pn new trieycles aud other with squeakerg, and a large crowd of adults, mostly carrying parcels, and all tallcing, they

reach a counter, to see a cool, smiling wife waiting for them. Their assortiveness ruined by tlie ordeaj, they ara in a mood to seize the first article offered for sale, buy it, and get out. But to their surprise and horror, their "better half " proeeeds to inspect the whole range available, carry on a prolonged conversation with the assistant, and then probably does not "buy anything at all, The hnsband, committed to the ordeal, meekly follows her out of the shop, muttering s'omething about "su&gging," or else ip stricken speechless at the courage of his lnate, To witness the earnest way in which the shopping is being done, it would be thought that it would have been all finished long before Christmas Eve. Bu| that is not the case. To-day the shoppers begin to get serious about their shopping. Most of the postal gifts may have been bought and despatched, but there are still presents to buy. Someone is sure to be forgotten, and when 10 o'clock strikes to-night the shops will still be full and people will still be buying gifts, and even then, as the crowds think of leaving the town, there will be heard the wOrds "Oh, Fve forgotten to get. . . ." SHOPS CLOSE FROM TO-NIGHT UNTIL TUESDAY From Ihe householders' viewpoint there should be little confusion caused this year regarding the holiday period. The faet that the festive period falls during the week-end simplifies shoppinghours, or rather closing-hours and days, and it can be said that, in the main, the business area of Hastings' will be closed to shoppers until next Tuesday morning after to-night. Dairies, green-grocers, fruiterers and some sweet-shops will be observing various hours on Monday. Dairies, for example, will observe Sunday hpurs, while among the green-grocers and fruiterers there is no unanimity about observing Monday as a holiday. some having decided to close altogether for tho aay and others deciding to open for a few hours in the morning, op the afternoon. To-night, then, will be the last opportunity to secure household prpvisions for the long week-end, as grocers, butchers and bakers will be observing a holiday over the three days. Shops will remain opcn until 10 o'clock this evening. BRIGHTER BUSINESS RECORDED IN HASTINGS This year, at any rate, business has been more evenly spread over the weea preceding Christmas than during the corresponding periods in the past, ac-coi-4ing to reports of various retafirerR in Hastings. However, credit for this is not given to the "Shop Early" pisa, but to the fact that people liaa prac .v cally the whole weelc to'do Uieir Christmas ehopping, whereas b> tlie past there has been usually only a few days. "To-night will be the bif night, anc there will be a terrific rush as usual," said one business man. "But businer this week has been excentionally good a feature being its steadiness. Theie have been rush periods. esneeially on Tuesday which was the best Tuesday that I have ever known. Until the ieturns are made up at the end of tio * week I cannot say whether my antiflpations for a record vear have been justified, but I feel sure that business is brighter even than last vear" Another leading retailerf while

agreeing that business was_ exceptionally good, was of the opinion that the spending-power of the people was uot as great as this time last vear. "There has been a tightening-up ^^ay people," he said. "They ara not doing this with any idea of preparing for another slump, but merely find that wriii increased costs of household necessities, they have not too much money lelt. These people, it should be remembered, have been making purchases of household articles throughout the past year, replenishing and renovating their homes after the depression oeriod. There was general agreement that shoppers this year were determineO upon quality goods. "This was antieipated, for it will. be recognised that generally shops this vear htp fjaturiig a better elass of goods than for severai years," said one retailer. "More^iXpensive articles have been meeting with a much better sale than was an*r ticipated." First thing this morninn shopkeeper® made a hurried survev of their stocloi and re-arranged their eounters and displays in anticipation of the biggest day of the year. Shops will remain open until 10 o'cloelc this eveninf. and, with the streets bloelced off from vehieular traffic, shoppers will have a free run oi the main business area from 6.30 o'clock until closing time.