The rush has begun
Exchanges, vouchers: the end of a quiet period
No sooner has the pre-Christmas hustle and bustle died down than the next one begins: on Saturday, Styrians made a pilgrimage to the shopping centers to exchange unwanted gifts or treat themselves with vouchers from the Christ Child.
Saturday lunchtime, Murpark Graz: the parking decks are full, the customers spread out among the stores. Many are simply there to have a coffee. Others swap what they don't need - the keyword here is double-gifting. "Often it's just the wrong 'Tom Turbo' volume that is exchanged for a 'real' one right after the holidays," says a Thalia saleswoman. Goodwill is the order of the day here.
Well-rested customers, a civilized atmosphere
In general, the atmosphere is peaceful and festive, in no comparison to the hustle and bustle of the pre-Christmas period, when nerves were always on edge, especially in grocery stores. "Customers like to sleep in these days," we are told, and the rush shifts to the afternoon and evening.
The Christ Child becomes more precise, the queues shorter
If at all - because the Styrian Christkindln have apparently been quite accurate in recent years. "Customers are simply putting more thought into what they give as presents," says Clint Böttcher, store manager at Kastner & Öhler in Graz city center. Even on December 23, there were fewer last-minute "emergency purchases" than in the past.
The exchange period is now also comparatively slow, with no sign of the 30-meter queues that used to form in front of the customer service counters in previous years. Nevertheless, Böttcher reports that the service area is currently the busiest due to exchange requests and complaints.
"December 27 is still very important for us," adds CEO Martin Wäg. Due to the calendar situation, this also applies to December 28 this year, after which business tends to slow down again. Around ten to 15 percent of total Christmas sales are generated in the period after the festive season: "These are good days and we don't want to miss them."
Gastronomy as a sales driver
The experience factor is becoming increasingly important, both before and after Christmas. It's not just at Kastner & Öhler that in-house gastronomy is "extremely popular", as Böttcher confirms. The focus is increasingly shifting towards "enjoying your stay and consuming at the same time".
This can also be seen in Murpark: on Saturdays, the crowds in the restaurants can easily keep up with those in the stores.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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