It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow and that is very noticeable this weekend in the toy shops in the city. Where, according to the shopkeepers we spoke to, the peak of activity was reached on Friday and Saturday, on Sunday it is mainly the “last-minute panic shoppers” who make their move. And that is slightly different from previous years.
Whether it concerns procrastination or packages ordered online that have arrived too late; there is still a lot of spending and packing on the last day before package evening. According to Yvette Amesz, co-owner of toy store Hebbes on the Haarlemmerdijk, the “last-minute shoppers” are the nicest. “They come in and ask: do you have anything?! We always arrange something for that.”
What strikes her is that the buying behavior around Sinterklaas has changed slightly this year. “I notice that after the corona crisis, and quite naturally with the energy that everyone is now in tension with, the expenditure is slightly less than in recent years.” She has also lost some of her customers to online shopping, but that gap is partly filled with the sale of second-hand clothing. And that works.
Sustainability
That sustainability is high on parents’ list this year, Lianne van Diemen, owner of the toy store De Kleine Eland on the Elandsgracht, also notices. “We do notice that, for example, recyclable toys have taken off, even more than usual.”
One of the customers is shopping for a mix of both second-hand and new gifts. “These are second-hand shoes, for example, which are also included. And they are also mainly things that they can use for the long term, so more sustainable toys.”
Although some people are more aware of Sinterklaas purchases, this does not apply to everyone. For example, one of the customers says: “It may cost a bit anyway, Sinterklaas only comes once a year”, and another says that he is screwed about it anyway: “We have five children, so budgets always go through the roof.”