BURLINGTON — Ask store owners downtown how their sales numbers looked for the 2021 holiday shopping season and the answer might surprise you: Normal.
But beyond the bottom line, Year 2 of the Covid-19 pandemic meant a host of changes for businesses in Vermont’s largest city, as they grappled with shifting public health guidance, supply chain woes and, in some cases, difficulty retaining workers.
“There’s probably more issues this year,” said Mike Donohue, co-founder of Outdoor Gear Exchange, “but we were better prepared for it.”
The fruits of Outdoor Gear Exchange’s preparation were visible around the store on a weekday afternoon shortly after Christmas. Whereas in 2020 the store sold out of some winter sports gear before Christmas, Donohue said, the retailer had a chance to anticipate supply chain disruptions when they ordered items this year.
Still, the store has had difficulty securing some items, Donohue said. In one case, a shipment of ski gear that was supposed to arrive in August didn’t arrive until late December.
At Champlain Leather on Cherry Street, a truant order of gloves led manager Nancy Kirby to recommend that customers shake up their gift-buying process. Instead of trying to select a pair of gloves for someone, have the recipient pick them out, she advised, because the store didn’t have enough stock to guarantee a swap with a pair they preferred.
“It takes away the surprise, but at least you know you’re getting what you want,” Kirby said.
In addition to supply chain hiccups, some businesses have dealt with staffing issues, especially as the highly transmissible Omicron variant takes hold around the state.
While Outdoor Gear Exchange had only one case of Covid-19 during the first year and a half of the pandemic, it now has multiple employees who are at home because they were identified as close contacts to an infection.
The Omicron variant also may have led more customers to get their shopping done early this year, some business managers said.
“The newest variant definitely had an impact,” said Shannon Kamnik, a manager at the boutique Expressions. The week leading up to Christmas “didn’t feel as crazy as in past years.”
“We had a stronger November than usual,” said Tim Pratt, owner of Global Pathways Jewelry Store. “My hunch is that folks were apprehensive to come out” as the variant spread.
Based on what store managers say they’re hearing, Covid-19 is not the only worry keeping some people away; a rash of disorderly behavior has left some would-be shoppers feeling unsafe.
“Our customers are scared to come downtown,” Kamnik said.
Kamnik and others attribute the disorderly incidents to a lack of police presence on Church Street. Not enforcing basic measures such as open container laws, some say, has led to an escalation in the seriousness of incidents reported on the pedestrian marketplace.
“When people flout the law, even if it’s a small law, it’s going to send a message,” said Kelly Devine, executive director of the Burlington Business Association.
City councilors voted in October to raise the number of police officers Burlington can have on its force, after axing the number last year.
The reported rise in disorderly conduct includes a spike in shoplifting, Devine said.
Donohue has seen an increase in theft at Outdoor Gear Exchange, he said. The co-owner described to VTDigger an incident where one woman stole six winter jackets from the store and ran out into a waiting car.
“That’s organized crime,” Donohue said.
While Kirby, the Champlain Leather manager, hasn’t seen a rise in shoplifting in her small shop, she does find stolen goods in the alley next to her business, she said.
“People need to be held accountable for the stuff they’re doing down here,” she said.
Still, store managers say they’re grateful that, despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, shoppers decided to do their holiday shopping at a local business, instead of online.
“People showed up,” Devine said.
