Traditionally, the Conception of Mary on December 8 is a shopping holiday that brings in a lot of sales for retailers. But this year it falls on a Sunday, so shops must remain closed. We wondered how this affects the mood in Tyrolean retail.
For many employees it is always a bit annoying when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, because they miss out on an extra day off. In retail it is the other way around: because December 8 is a Sunday this year, the business community is missing a very important working day.
“We are normally open on this day, but this year everything remains closed,” explains Simon Franzoi, director of trade at the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce.
Hoping for flexibility from customers
But while the shopping holiday has traditionally always been a very busy shopping day, “there is no major annoyance,” says Franzoi, “simply because we can’t change anything about it anyway.”
Of course, people were happy with the day and got along well with the employees, but the division manager does not expect any major losses: “You cannot assume that there will be a drastic drop in turnover in one day. . Because customers are flexible, this is spread over other days. From our research we also see that customer behavior changes from year to year.”
Optimistic despite difficult circumstances
According to Franzoi, this year’s Christmas activity is off to a good start so far. “We have already had two strong weekends, we are looking forward to this one and expect two more.” A positive mood is needed now, “it has been a difficult year”.
Even though many – as reported – are planning to spend less money on Christmas presents this year, retailers are still good-natured about it: “Of course we cannot give a final balance yet, but the interim balance is based on the feedback we receive of retailers, shopping centers and city marketing well.”
By the way: Shops that are also open on other Sundays are not closed on the day of Mary’s Conception – such as souvenir shops, supermarkets at train stations or in tourist regions.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
