By: Sunstar
Consumer spending in Cebu has shown signs of recovery from low levels since March as bargain hunters flock to malls to get better deals.
“There are different types of consumers. Some take advantage of the sales, especially towards the Christmas season. They want to buy in advance and avoid the Christmas rush,” said Chester Lim, PRA-Cebu Chapter president.
He noted that while they expect reduced spending compared to last year due to the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic, sales promotions have provided relief to ailing businesses.
He also welcomed the lifting of age restrictions by the government’s Covid-19 task force. Minors are now allowed to enter malls if accompanied by their parents and if their local government units allow it.
“In my observation, malls are mostly health protocol compliant. This should not pose a concern for local government units,” said Lim.
With families going out for the holidays, Lim said malls and other establishments need all the foot traffic they can get.
Christmas-related items, according to Lim, have been selling well.
He advised the PRA members to follow the suggested retail price and built-in safety shopping protocols set by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The DTI-Cebu said it had approved 115 applications for sales promotions from Oct. 1 to Nov. 26 this year, of which one-third were for online sales promotions.
Improvement in sales, according to Lim, varies per industry. He said some are slowly recovering while others remained badly hit.
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