Christmas Consumer Spending

I went Christmas shopping to the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent today with both my granddaughters. Both are 11 years old, going on 30 and so Mrs P and I thought it best to let them choose for themselves what they wanted as presents. So we set a budget of £100 per twin and then let them go to whatever shops they wanted and pick various items they desired. It wasn’t too bad an experience as I got to sit down a lot. Shops have got a lot better of late at providing seats for the reluctant shopper. Beyond walking around the mall, all I had to do was present a debit card from time to time. This afforded me with an opportunity to do some “people watching”, something I always enjoy. Anecdotally speaking, it seemed to be very busy at Bluewater and people were busy spending, despite the current economic climate. This got me wondering whether this due to consumer confidence or if it simply driven by the cult of “Christmas” which is prevalent in the UK.