Christmas decoration market in Nghe An is quiet

Christmas decorations are rich and diverse. Photo: Thanh Phuc

If every year at this time, the Phu Quy decorative goods dealer (the main hall of Vinh market) has to hire 3-4 seasonal workers to pack Christmas decorations for retail outlets, this year, only the mother and daughter are self-sufficient. Ms. Nguyen Hong Phu, the store owner, said: "There is only 1 week left until Christmas.ChristmasBut the quantity of goods sold is very small. Occasionally people come to see, consult the price and a few buy retail; wholesalers also import limited goods. Revenue from this item has decreased by 70%".

Although prices have not increased, purchasing power has decreased sharply. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Also anticipating the epidemic situation, purchasing power decreased, so she also reduced the amount of imported goods. At the same time, she only focused on a few main items, affordable prices such as: flashing lights, laurel wreaths, gift boxes, balls... As for items such asChristmas tree, Santa Claus, SnowmanLarge sizes are only available when customers order. “These items are expensive (from 500,000 VND - several million VND/item), so we don’t dare to keep them, if they don’t sell, we will have a lot of capital left. Last year, we sold hundreds of plants, but this year, no one has placed an order yet,” Ms. Phu added.

Most dealers only import small Christmas trees and reasonably priced decorative items instead of giant Christmas trees and "huge" Santa Claus like in previous years. Photo: Thanh Phuc

To serve the needs of beautifying homes, restaurants, hotels, cafes, etc., bookstores in Vinh city also have a corner dedicated to selling Christmas decorations with a variety of items, types, sizes, and prices. However, according to bookstore staff, purchasing power is very low, only a few people come to see and take pictures. If in previous years, the revenue of bookstores this month mainly comes from theChristmas decoration itemsThis year has been very gloomy.

Due to the impact of the Covid 19 epidemic, restaurants, hotels, and cafes have seen a sharp decrease in revenue, most entertainment venues have stopped operating, so decorating stores and shops has also been cut to reduce costs.

Many restaurants and shops reuse old Christmas trees from previous years to decorate and create highlights instead of buying new ones. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Mr. Hoang Cuong, owner of a breakfast and coffee shop on Le Nin Street, said: “Every year, in addition to two 3-5m high pine trees at the two gates, we also decorate with Santa Claus playing music, making a cave, and snowmen into miniature landscapes to create check-in spots for young people, attracting customers. This year, due to the pandemic, the shop has been closed continuously, and when it reopens, there are few customers, so income is limited. To save costs, the shop reuses the old pine tree, only buying a few more decorations to replace the old ones.”

On the other hand, due to the complicated developments of the epidemic, schools, especially kindergartens, are temporarily closed, and people's demand for going out is limited. Families are also tightening their spending, and decorating their homes for Christmas is not as bustling as every year. Therefore, although the prices of Christmas decorations have not increased, consumption is still slow and sluggish.

Many establishments offering Santa Claus gift-giving services have also temporarily suspended operations this year due to the complicated developments of the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Thanh Phuc

This time last year, on websites, social networking sites,Santa Claus Gift Delivery Servicewas very busy, many units were "full of schedules", "sold out", overloaded, but this year it was quite quiet. "Up to this point, no customer has booked this service and our group will temporarily suspend this activity this Christmas because the epidemic is quite complicated, while the package of this service is to deliver gifts to the children, give them directly, take pictures with the children...", said Mr. Tuan Linh, head of a Santa Claus gift-giving service group located on Tan Hung Street (Vinh City).