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Come what may, Christmas is priceless
Shoppers in Pettah: Whatever the economic difficulties people face they will still want to light up their homes with Christmas decor. Pix by Eshan Fernando
Christmas is supposed to be, as the famous song goes, “the most wonderful time of the year.” It is a time of hope and anticipation for many who celebrate with good food, family, friends, decorated Christmas trees, and Santa Claus.
The upcoming festive season will be unique in many ways for Sri Lankans.
Celebrations would be tinged with the sadness of loved ones lost to the coronavirus disease, as well as shortages of essentials, the forex issue facing the country, and import restrictions.
But, giving is an integral part of Christmas. There are many charitable functions, get-togethers, and corporate events at Christmas. Hence, there must be a constant and uninterrupted supply of food, clothes, gifts, and essentials.
However, things will not be easy this year, with five pieces of Christmas cake costing Rs. 1,000 online, for example.
Leading merchants shared their views on preparations to ensure a steady supply of goods for the Christmas season amid import restrictions, high cost of living, freight costs, and other issues.
N.K. Jayawardena, chairman of the Bakery Owners Association, said: “Christmas and baked goods are almost synonymous. For Christmas, you need cakes, for cakes you need ingredients, for ingredients, you need money. The food inflation is affecting us significantly. The prices of eggs and flour have risen and we are unsure how to deal with it in the long run. The price of gas and butter has increased as well. Overall, this year is much worse for us than the last mainly due to the uncertainty of how and when to get ingredients and how smaller bakeries in particular, are going to be able to deal with price hikes.”
Andrew Darby, CEO of Softlogic Glomark Supermarkets, told the Sunday Times: “The import restrictions are affecting the whole industry, so we are trying to be more flexible and have been working with more local suppliers. We do not anticipate much of a difference for this festive season than any other year. Customers may be a bit more apprehensive in buying goods. We have been focusing on ensuring the availability of stocks and are planning promotional activities just as we have done in previous seasons.”
A representative of a prominent department store in Sri Lanka described people’s shopping patterns.
“There are two categories for shopping: essentials, which include food, rent, and utilities, and the non-essentials, which is what people spend their disposable income on. People have been saving parts of their disposable income and now are more interactive with their shopping. This is best described by us as ‘anger shopping’ as it is unorganised.
“The import restrictions are affecting us big time and so we are unable to meet the increasing demand. Some of the usual textile items we import are limited or unavailable. So, while demand is improving compared with the last festive season, the supply or the price range is not going to satisfy our customers.’’
A spokesperson for a leading manufacturing company/distributor of cake ingredients and confectioneries in Sri Lanka said: “The main issue for us is the delay in shipments due to the unavailability of connecting vessels. It is uncertain when our consignment will be available. We always anticipate an increase in demand for confectionery during the festive season and have not thought otherwise this year. We expect a better Christmas this year than the last as many more people tend to either order or make sweet treats to give and share. To avoid anxiety, knowing the potential issues we would face, we ordered stocks early on in the year to beat the Christmas rush. But not all importers may have that kind of preparation making it difficult for the consumers.”
A leading importer of spirits and wines, said: “We generally start prepping by about June or July to not be caught off-guard. We do not anticipate a significant dip in consumer spending, in fact, we foresee good traction, better than last year. We may need to make minor adjustments mainly due to the restrictions on social gatherings. Importing beer is a problem for us mainly due to the issues concerning freight. However, there will be a significant price volatility due to the high value of the US dollar [in relation to the rupee].”
Yohan Galapitage, co-owner of The English Cake Company, told the Sunday Times: “Our main sellers are cheesecakes, which is a problem as the price of cream cheese has skyrocketed. A kilo of cream cheese has seen a price escalation by Rs 400. We are trying not to increase our prices and have been looking into other possibilities. The other ingredient that poses an issue for Christmas, in particular, is cashew nuts, which are sometimes a little hard to find and are also becoming more expensive by the day.”
Several sales staff of the Pettah Market shared their grievances
“People who have begun their Christmas shopping have been shopping at larger establishments. Many are reluctant to shop at small stores like ours. We have suffered quite a loss these days and are also low on stocks due to import restrictions and the dollar issues,’’ one said.
A spokesperson for Pettah Essence Suppliers said: “The demand for goods is better than last year. However, the prices of ingredients are increasing, mainly for cashew nuts. What used to be between Rs. 2,700 and Rs. 2,800 a kilo is now Rs. 4,000 a kilo. The bigger problem for us, since we deal with food essences and other food chemicals such as food colouring, is that shipments are delayed and prices are high. Goods are not cleared on time and we have to wait between 10 to 20 days before our goods arrive.”
There is no doubt that this Christmas will be different from the usual seasonal festivities. However, people will always try to forget the hindrances by celebrating Christmas with their loved ones. After all, Christmas comes only once a year.
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