In a tweet, the Heart of Orléans BIA urged those who had cancelled a Christmas party to still consider ordering food for delivery or takeout. Retailers will continue to prioritize keeping their employees and customers safe, so please be patient and bring the good vibes of the season to your shopping.” “We continue to advise shoppers to plan ahead, whether shopping in-store or online. “As we know from last year, occupancy limits and other constraints are likely to lead to lines and other delays during the busy holiday season,” she said. The council understands the need to prioritize health, but retail stores are low-risk environments, Wasylyshen said. In November, the Retail Council of Canada said shoppers were optimistic and predicted they would head back to bricks and mortar stores in time for holiday shopping. “COVID for me has been about re-adapting time and space,” he said. He usually makes a Thanksgiving feast for 50 people, but this year he opted to have guests pick up their turkey dinners as takeout. I consider Christmas to be a period, not a day,” Pepper said. “If worse comes to worst, we’ll have Christmas in April.”ĭavid Pepper and Mike Graydon said they didn’t buy Christmas gifts, preferring to splurge on food treats they typically only buy once a year.īut they said they weren’t rushing out to buy holiday food just because retail limitations were set to change on Sunday. She tried to get rapid tests at an LCBO and a pharmacy, but there were none available. The omicron variant will force her family to carefully weigh the risks of getting together, Bennett said. Jo Anne Bennett was shopping for a few gifts for stockings. Some said they were out on Saturday because they were worried shopping would be more difficult when the limitations kicked in. Mike Graydon, left, and David Pepper say they don’t buy Christmas gifts, preferring to splurge on food treats they typically only buy once a year. “I don’t think this is going to change anyone’s shopping habits,” he said. Store manager Duncan Beard puts up a rope if the store is at capacity and has a “triage system” of allowing customers into the store depending on what they want so that product areas inside don’t get crowded. Just a few blocks west, Fresh Air Experience sometimes also had a short line outside Saturday, but never more than three or four people. We had the infrastructure in place before all this came down.” “We’ve been at half-capacity since we reopened in July. The new limitations won’t make a difference for Maker House, he said. “For some categories it’s even higher - the last six weeks of the year for the toy category, for example, represent nearly 40 per cent of their entire year’s sales.”īut would holiday shoppers descend on stores in droves on Saturday before the new limits kicked in?įor some Ottawa retailers and shoppers, Saturday was neither more nor less busy than the days before.Īt Maker House on Wellington Street, which sells artisan furniture, housewares and gifts, there was a lineup out the door, but this was the case last week as well, supervisor Reid Haw said. “In a typical year, the last six weeks of the year for retail trade represents on average 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the year’s sales,” she said. The holiday season is a crucial time for retailers, said Michelle Wasylyshen, spokesperson for the Retail Council of Canada. The new 50-per-cent capacity limits for indoor public settings include shopping malls and retail spaces such as pharmacies and grocery stores.
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