- Agency Report
Barely few days to Christmas, some traders in Lagos have expressed mixed reactions over the level of patronage, as rising costs and cautious shoppers shape festive market mood.
Some traders at Balogun Business Association (BBA) Market and Oyinlola Ifelodun Market in Festac Town on Monday told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the festive rush had yet to fully set in.
A clothing trader at BBA, Mrs Joy Nwachukwu, said sales improved for her this year compared to the same period in 2024.
“As at this time last year, I didn’t have many customers coming to buy but this year has been better.
“Irrespective of the price increase, they’re still buying,” she said.
Mrs Tutu Hunpe, a vendor of children’s clothing at Oyinlola Ifelodun Market in Festac Town, said that this year’s festive shopping patterns have diverged from previous trends.
“We are noticing a marked increase in adults purchasing items for personal use, rather than prioritising children’s clothing.It appears economic pressures are influencing parental spending decisions,” she noted.
Also, Mr Chukwudi Obi, a shoe vendor at BBA Market, said shoppers appeared more focused on self-gratification and personal pleasure in 2025.
“Most of the sales I’ve made are solely for adults.
“It seems a lot of people are focusing more on enjoying this Christmas than they did last year,” he said.
Many other traders, however, decried low patronage and unrealistic bargaining of their wares by shoppers.
Mrs Blessing Dikeh at BBA, lamented that many potential buyers walked away without making purchases, after being told the price of goods.
“They just call their prices and leave.
“The prices they call are extremely low, far below what I can accept,” she said.
Mrs Bolaji Disu at the Oyinlola Ifelodun Market, who shared a similar experience, attributed it to the rising costs of goods from the wholesalers.
She said customers usually had the misconception that the rising cost of goods was their doing rather than the wholesalers.
“We can’t sell our items at the same amount we bought them,” she said.
In the decorations segment, a Christmas ornaments trader, Mrs Joy Chidinma, noted that though prices had remained stable, demand was still low.
“Prices of Christmas lights haven’t increased much compared to last year, but the market is slow,” she said. NAN