Retail stores bemoan drop in sales

Several retail stores in San Antonio have expressed fears of losing their businesses due to the drop in sales as a result of the closure of a couple of garment factories in the area.

Ocean Market II owner Chen Li Bo, whose business first opened its doors two years ago, explained that she worries everyday as she sees firsthand that customer numbers are dropping.

“I’m very worried,” she said yesterday. “Everything is going down. No good business now…not like before.”

Chen said daily sales have dropped by about 5 percent since the start of the year. She said she could only hope that things get better.

“We get little customers, so sales have went down,” she said. “I don’t know if things are going to be okay this month. I need to pay worker, rent for building, and power. This year is not good. It’s very bad.”

Two employees of New World Market II also expressed a similar experience with the establishment, citing that sales have also dropped by an average of 5 percent.

“The sales is down because before, these garment workers would come here and buy food for lunch or after work, now its kind of slow…not as much come now,” the store cashier, who asked not to be named, said. “My sales is really not like before.”

The cashier said sales were especially high during weekends as many customers would purchase items for barbeques or occasions.

“But now, sometimes no one [is] in the store. Before, they would come and buy to go to the beach or something. We still have other people come, but it’s still not like before.”

The two employees also explained that while sales have dropped, prices for items have increased due to a rise in prices from wholesale distributors.

“The wholesale went up because the distributors’ [price for] items are going up,” the cashier said. “So we have to change the price. If the wholesale goes down, then we reduce the price.”

The two also expressed hope that the government would help in finding a solution to the situation “because all the businesses around here are going to feel it and are affected.”

“If not, many businesses will be down, workers will go home. We hope the government can do something because not only us, even the other stores and businesses, and their workers will be affected.”

The cashier speculated that those who lost their jobs at the garment factories are “probably really holding on to their money now that they don’t have work, and maybe that’s why even though some are still here, they don’t buy as much as before.”

Figures of sales from both stores were not provided.