Shopping Streets Buzzing as Sales Begin
The familiar scene of the sales is back: a street in Triana, in Gran Canaria’s capital, packed with people; queues in shops along Calle Castillo in Santa Cruz de Tenerife; shoppers laden with bags from every conceivable brand, and card machines working non-stop. This typical post-Christmas picture is now stretching further across the calendar. The growth of e-commerce and the establishment of events like Black Friday have fostered a more extended shopping period. Consequently, although many began their Three Kings’ Day purchases back in November, the final push for the retail sector starts with the new year.
Steady Growth Forecast for Sales Period
In the first days of January, the familiar red-and-white signs announcing major discounts appeared in shop windows. The forecast for this sales period is that spending will be “in line with that of December,” according to Abbas Moujir, President of the Federation of Urban Areas of the Canary Islands (Fauca). The year closed with retail sector turnover expected to grow by between 3% and 5% compared to the previous period. These positive figures do not indicate sharp peaks of economic growth, essentially because retail has been recording good data all year and Christmas shopping is now spread over a longer timeframe.
In this sense, the dates when Canary Islanders decide to prepare the deluge of gifts for 6th January now begin even in November. That month, islanders made between 30% and 35% of their anticipated festive season spending during the Black Friday sales. Now, in January, they will put the finishing touches to a season of greater spending and excess under the traditional winter sales.
Average Spend Rises Slightly
Spaniards willing to make a purchase at the start of this year plan to spend an average of €197. This amount represents an increase of €16 compared to last year, a small rise in the percentage of spending that confirms the sector’s stability. This is reflected in a report by the Spanish Consumers’ Association (Asescon), which conducted 2,000 surveys with consumers during this sales period. The impetus for purchases comes from the usual wave of heavy discounts, typically between 40% and 60%.
Consumer Skepticism and Unfair Practices
Each shop determines which items will see a price change, and sometimes it is the consumer themselves who doubts the truthfulness of this variation. 85% of those surveyed by Asescon believe the sales starting now “will not provide any additional discount.” Regarding this, Alfredo Medina, Secretary General of the Association of Medium and Large Distribution Companies of the Canary Islands (Asodiscan), points out that “negative” sales practices are usually carried out, above all, by less well-known shops or those operating primarily on internet platforms.
Medina refers, in particular, to scams such as increasing a product’s price before the sales, only to then show it “with a discount” when in reality no reduction has occurred. This unfair relationship with the buyer does not happen in “more established businesses where the aim is to build a relationship with the customer, not to deceive them,” he emphasises.
Fashion Remains King, But Sales Have “Lost Steam”
All retailers participate in the sales, though the textile industry remains the main protagonist. Clothing, accessories, and footwear continue to attract the most attention in January. According to Asescon, 92% of respondents stated they would make clothing and footwear purchases. Regarding general participation in the sales, 86% of consumers plan to buy. Even so, Abbas Moujir insists that the sales “have lost steam.” Their prolongation across the calendar is the main cause.
Since the periods and duration of sales were liberalised in 2012, each shop independently decides when to start applying its discounts, which has diluted the traditional anticipation around specific dates. Thus, the typical 7th January, which once marked the start of the sales, has transformed, rather, into the day for returns and exchanges. It is now most common for those who received a Three Kings’ gift in the wrong size or colour, or simply an unwanted one, to visit shops to exchange their products.
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