MONTEGO BAY, Falmouth — Anthony Pearson, the proprietor of Lloyd’s Department Store in Montego Bay, says he has detected a new trend among customers — many have this year decided to shop earlier for back-to-school items to avoid the traditional last-minute rush.

“We find that individuals shopped a little earlier to avoid the last-minute thing. Over the years that has improved, where persons are trying to get their shopping on their list completely done earlier than the last weekend [before the start of the new academic year],” Pearson told the Jamaica Observer Friday afternoon.

“So we don’t anticipate that usual crazy rush on the last weekend, because it is a little more steady over the period. That’s what we have found it to be, a little more spread out,” he added.

Experienced and much-sought-after Falmouth, Trelawny, tailor Mikey also noticed that his customers brought material for him to sew uniforms earlier than usual this year.

As a result, the tailor said there is a noticeable reduction in his workload as at last Friday.

He said that had it not been for disruption in the power supply after the passage of Hurricane Beryl on July 3 he would have already completed more uniforms.

“What hold me up a little is that the current go back and forth. Since the storm couple time the current go weh. But what I do is cut material in the meantime,” he said.

“If light never gone some of the time, I would have less work to complete now. Remember, I can sew 10 shirts a day. So I get about 40 pants, and mi soon finish,” he said.

The tailor said he has also discerned that parents are demanding more accuracy.

“The parents not only come earlier these days, but what you find [is] they watch everything, even the buttonhole. And they come and they spend more time on their kids. First time, parents don’t do it. These days they even bring their children new school shoes to try on with the new uniform,” the tailor said.

One parent, Kamara Strachan, who was at the tailor shop with one of her sons, told the
Sunday Observer that apart from purchasing textbooks for his older brother, she has completed back-to-school preparations for both sons.

“Everything is set. Only two textbooks I now have left to buy for my older son. I don’t buy all his textbook yet, because the last time I bought everything and they never use them. So I haven’t gotten any of his. But whenever they start using them that’s the time I am going to buy his. But outside of that, everything is intact,” Strachan disclosed.

Meanwhile, a vendor at Falmouth Bend Down Market, who gave her name only as Sophie, claimed that sales of back-to-school items were not as brisk as last year.

“I don’t know if it is because we carried [school] bags out earlier or what, but last year was better. We got bags later this year because of suppliers,” the vendor said.