This stall owner gets a shave on Orange Street, downtown Kingston, on a slow Christmas shopping day yesterday. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

Heavy rains threatened to dampen the Christmas spirit of the large number of persons who invaded shopping malls in Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Catherine yesterday to take advantage of bargains offered by store owners.

But despite the rain, the shopping went on in earnest as savvy business operators pulled out all the stops and strategies to entice shoppers who traded in their customary lazy Sunday afternoon at home for the hustle and bustle of crowded shopping malls.

The business operators offered refreshments, one-day sales, free delivery and even free gifts to shoppers in an attempt to make the most of the Christmas spending frenzy.

"You really have to do whatever you can to get the people to buy from you. There is so much competition these days, so you have to come with something extra," said Robert Dunbar, owner of a jewellery store in Portmore. His store offered free gift wrapping on every purchase.

At Appliance Traders Limited along Constant Spring Road, a saleswoman convinced a man who said he had no intention of spending any money to purchase a large-screen television set.

Not all Merry

But all was not merry for sellers in the Corporate Area. At the Constant Spring Arcade, the vendors complained that all the shoppers seemed to be going to the stores in the area instead of taking advantage of the deals offered inside the arcade.

"This is how it is every year. We have to struggle because we can't afford big store," one vendor said.

Christmas trees were also being sold like hot bread and fire crackers and starlights were other items of the day.