In the streets of Cherbourg, there are customers who are increasing the budget this year on Christmas shopping. This is the case with Stéphanie: “Last year, we restricted ourselves, now we let go to catch up!” But customers like Stéphanie are quite rare according to the merchants of the city center. It is rather the profile of Virginie that seems to dominate: “I’m paying more attention because the cost of living has gone up,” she explains, “therefore to please, that does not necessarily mean a significant sum to spend.” Many budgets seem to be smaller this year and according to traders, there are also fewer customers compared to Christmas 2020.
Traders do not find the very good figures for December 2020
In 2020, the numbers were particularly good for traders on Christmas shopping. This is what Charlotte Lecomte, a shopkeeper in Cherbourg, had observed. “I think people made efforts after the lockouts,” she explains, “They returned to local shops, we felt real support.” Support for small traders which seems to have waned. “There, we feel that the internet has started again,” Charlotte Lecomte analysis. A feeling shared by Catherine Leduc, shopkeeper in the central square: _“There, this year, it’s very, very irregular.”For this store manager, the health context does not help bring customers back to the city center. “There are people who are afraid, I think, of going out and being confronted with too large a crowd,” _ said Catherine Leduc.
These two traders hope that the last days before Christmas will dampen, a little, the figures which are announced rather at half mast for these 2021 holidays.