I don’t know about you but I was amazed by the number of households that had ‘gone early’ with their Christmas decs this year.
I remember seeing some in October and even more in November. Crazy as it seems, apparently the practice of ‘going early’ is all about cheering ourselves up in these increasingly uncertain times. Well done, I say to the households that have already made me smile with their tasteful and not-so-tasteful decs.
BP hit the regional news last month when an employee in Southampton complained that they were not allowed to have Christmas decorations at their site. Apparently they got the wrong end of the stick and could use BP-supplied decs but they weren’t allowed to bring in their own decs for health and safety reasons. The oil giant also confirmed that it had ‘uniform flexibility’ so colleagues can wear Christmas jumpers in December to allow them to celebrate in their ‘own personal style’.
I’m not a fan of fancy dress for myself but love it when store staff have gone to the effort to dress up; it always makes me smile. Nothing like spreading a bit of festive cheer.
Obviously with rising prices across the board – for consumers and forecourt operators – there has been some belt-tightening but at Christmas many people still like to splash out.
According to new research from online shipping solution Ship Station, food and drink is a top spending category this Christmas, with 83% of both Gen X and Boomers planning to maintain or increase their spending in this area. Millennials follow closely, with 81% keeping or raising their budgets, and 41% of Gen Z intend to spend more. Ship Station says these trends highlight a shift toward practical, consumable gifts over traditional items like books and media.
Yes, many of these consumers will visit their local supermarket to buy Christmas food and drink but most supermarkets sell the same things. Personally, I appreciate the shops that offer something a bit different and it’s amazing to see how many forecourt stores offer local lines and products from smaller suppliers. If you do, make sure you don’t hide them away. People are busy in December and if you can make it easy for them by displaying gift or treat ideas in a high traffic area, I am sure they will snap them up.
Every December I dread the ‘big’ food shop for Christmas dinner – and try to time it just right so I avoid the fights over the last few brussel sprouts. Even with a list I am bound to forget something, which is when I will rely on my local Budgens at a BP forecourt. It’s a newish store that’s very well stocked and will no doubt have just what I want whether that’s extra lemonade or cranberry sauce. I must point out that this BP site is not just for Christmas, I use it all year round.
That just leaves the Forecourt Trader team to wish you all a happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
