Gone are the days when last-minute Christmas shoppers would crowd grocery stores and shopping centers or form long lines at cashiers\u2019 booths, with the financial crisis deepening and lingering immigration uncertainties shrinking the customer base, forcing many to hold on to their hard-earned money until they secure federal work status.<\/p>\n
Clement Kaipat and his family spent almost the whole day yesterday \u201clooking for the right gifts\u201d to stretch their estimated $300 budget for their children\u2019s toys and for exchange gifts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started at around 10:30am and it\u2019s now almost 4pm but we still haven\u2019t found all the right gifts. We prepared for this occasion but the economy is really affecting everyone. The prices of toys and gifts have gone up so we have to be really picky,\u201d said Kaipat in an interview at the Lollipops store in Garapan. Lollipops is one of the most popular stores for children\u2019s toys and clothing on Saipan.<\/p>\n
Despite the limited budget, he and his wife said they try to make the occasion as merry as possible for their four children.<\/p>\n
Nhitz Manalo, supervisor at Payless Supermarket in Chalan Kanoa, is seeing an increase in the number of grocery shoppers this past few days because of the holidays but she said the number of shoppers and volume of sales are definitely a lot fewer and lesser this year than in previous years.<\/p>\n
She said their daily sales during the holidays this year are $2,000 to $3,000 lesser than their sales last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a big difference from the sales of last year and the years before that. We believe it\u2019s because of the economy, the delayed release of rebate and refund checks, the work hour cuts, and the fact that many Filipinos have already gone home. As we all know, Christmas is such a big holiday for Filipinos and they really prepare lots of food. Those who are still here are also not spending as much because they don\u2019t know yet if their CW application or parole application will be approved. Many of them are also jobless now,\u201d said Manalo, herself a nonresident worker from the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Manalo, who has been working on Saipan for almost 17 years, said her Christmas wish is for the CNMI economy to recover so that more people will regain employment.<\/p>\n
Joy De Belen, 30, got her Christmas package yesterday at the U.S. Post Office in Chalan Kanoa. She said she ordered children\u2019s gifts, clothing, and other personal items online and have her relatives in Texas mail them to her to save money.<\/p>\n
De Belen said her only wish is for her whole family to be able to remain in the CNMI. She said her husband is still waiting for his CW-1 petition to be granted. She said her husband also applied for a CW-2 status for her as dependent of a foreign worker.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have young children, and they\u2019re both U.S. citizens\u2014a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old. If our petitions are not approved, we will be forced to leave,\u201d said De Belen, who is also waiting for Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan\u2019s H.R. 1466 to be passed by Congress. The bill seeks a grant of CNMI-only resident status to four groups of people, including immediate relatives of U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n
At the post office, at least one couple said they were lucky to find their child tax credit check in the mail just in time for Christmas.<\/p>\n
Adrian Torre and his family, who made their Christmas grocery shopping at Joeten Shopping Center in Garapan yesterday, said the economy has generally affected \u201ceveryone in some ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are still doing okay but we hope the situation here doesn\u2019t get worse than it already is. We also wish there will be more job opportunities and better assistance for people in need,\u201d said Torre, of As Matuis.<\/p>\n
George Moses, supervisor at Joeten Shopping Center in Garapan, said that people still want to keep the spirit of Christmas alive by buying gifts for their loved ones gifts, preparing food, and decorating their houses.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen increased shopping because of the holidays but I can\u2019t say whether we have more sales this year than last year. The holidays are not yet over,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Moses also said despite the sad state of the economy, they were able to sell all of their Christmas trees.<\/p>\n
\u201cA week before Christmas, people were still looking for Christmas trees but we sold out everything. People still want to have their Christmas trees even though the economy is bad,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He said Joeten Shopping Center in Garapan added cashiers for the holiday season, in anticipation of the volume of shoppers. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want customers to wait in line for a long time. We\u2019re always focused on customer service. Our Susupe branch also extended shopping hours because of the holidays,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Jocelyn Palacios and Maria Calma, both sales associates at Lollipops, said the most saleable items at the store are pillow pets, Hello Kitty products, and children\u2019s bicycles, which were already sold out a week before Christmas. They said their 12-inch to 20-inch bicycles sold for $89 to $129 each.<\/p>\n
\u201cBicycles sold out fast. People still want the best for their children,\u201d Palacios said.<\/p>\n
Calma, who has worked at the store for seven years, said this year\u2019s volume of shoppers is much fewer compared to two years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe used to have long lines, but we don\u2019t see that now. Two years ago, sales were still high. But last year, it was really down and this year, it has gotten worse. But because the holiday shopping is not over yet, we may still have the same volume of sales. We are hoping that will be the case,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Eric Borja, a Dandan resident, was also at the store buying toys for his two godchildren.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my first time to buy. I know the economy is down but it\u2019s a tradition to remember your loved ones on Christmas so I\u2019m here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Naiomi Sasaki, 19, also went to check their mailbox at the post office in Chalan Kanoa, and it was filled with magazines for the church and personal letters, including at least one Christmas card.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Christmas wish is for me to be able to stay here on Saipan longer,\u201d she said. The former Northern Marianas College student is here for the holidays, but she said she wanted to be able to find a part-time job here while waiting to be enrolled at the University of Guam.<\/p>\n
The CNMI economy is not expected to recover soon, after being hit hard by the pullout of its garment industry and the continuous drop in tourist arrivals, coupled with high fuel, utility and shipping costs, smaller customer base, and uncertainties related to federalization of local immigration. The government budget of $102 million for fiscal year 2012 has already shrunk to a level last seen some 22 years ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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