This weekend should see a last minute festive flurry of shoppers spending their Christmas bonuses and looking for a late bargain, experts have predicted this week. A spokesperson for the British Retail Consortium has claimed that people are happy to leave their Christmas purchases later and later each year, which should give retailers a huge boost after a more than silent December so far. Vice-president of Pembrokeshire Tourism and representative of Tenby Chamber of Trade and Tourism, Chris Osborne, said that everything had been looking quiet in the county so far this winter. "Signs of diminishing credit, falling residential values, reduced disposable income, potential global recession (well in the West anyway) would seem to be leading to an economic downturn in the UK," he remarked. "Many local companies have apparently acted cautiously on their Christmas party expenditure. "Let's hope for improved conditions by the time we get to Easter, which is early next year," he added. Despite the streets being quiet, Mrs. Caroline Thomas, of Tenby's Clarice Toy Shop in Upper Frog Street, said that party-goers were still keen to dress up in fancy dress hats and outfits and show some Christmas spirit. "I think revellers these days like to dress up, not only for New Year's Eve, but for the whole of the festive party period, and we've still got a few humorous 'Bah, humbug' hats left which have proved very popular," she explained, adding that traditional toys and family games had also been selling well this Christmas. "Toys selling well so far have been Playmobiles, Star Wars Lego and Sylvanian Families, while Scalextric always proves a winner, but I'm never quite sure if it's for the dads or the children these days," she joked. "It seems to be a bit quiet with regards to seeing shoppers on the streets, but that's probably down to the cold weather we've had, but we're well prepared, with sledges in stock if there is snow, and hopefully it will be a busy weekend leading up to the big day on Tuesday," added Mrs. Thomas. Julian Rossiter, who runs clothes shops Suburban in Tenby and Taboo in Narberth, thinks that it's a sign of the times that there are less and less shoppers doing their buying over the tills, with most now choosing to pick their gifts out on online. "Figures are down in both shops from this time last year, but I think a lot of people choose to shop online in the comfort of their own homes nowadays. "You can be selling the best products in Wales at the best prices, but if there are no punters in the towns to buy anything, then there's not much you can do, but fingers are crossed the weekend will see a lot of last minute purchases," he said. Chris Hughes, of Tenby's T. P. Hughes and Son Ltd., also expects a late surge of shoppers. "Like the last three or four years, the build up to Christmas in the weeks before has been slow, but I'm sure it will be a bumper weekend as ever," commented Chris, who said the store had experienced their best Christmas ever on household items such as carpets and furniture. Secretary of Narberth Chamber of Trade, Gordon Barry, said that, although trade had been 'a bit slow', there had been a long build-up to Christmas this year, but traders were looking forward to a last minute rush this weekend and on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, in Whitland, trade at Harries of Whitland butcher's shop was 'very busy'.
