Candle, flower vendors get less sales

CEBU, Philippines - Even before people start flocking to cemeteries for All Saints' Day today and All Souls' Day tomorrow, candle and flower vendors say demand is lesser and sales are lower this year compared to last year's.

Flor Marie Baring of Florita's Flower Shop situated at the Freedom Park said business is not good this year. She has been in the business for 20 years.

Baring said they have only earned P12 000 to P15 000, selling just 100 to 150 bundles of flowers from Oct. 26 to 30, compared to the 200 to 3000 bundles sold last year.

She said that as a result of low demand, her family was forced to cut prices by half.

For example, she said, a bundle of Malaysian mumps are now sold at P75 to P120 from the regular price of P150; aster flower, from P60 to P35 this year; anthurium, P50 to P75; and yellow chrysanthemum is now sold at just P30 per dozen.

"Mas kusog pa ang (Demand was high) last year bisag nihit ang (even though there was scarcity in) supply. Though mahal ang buwak pero paliton man pud sa mga tawo (the flowers were expensive, people were buying). Karong tuiga, barato na lagi pero mingaw na man hinuon (This year, flowers are cheaper but it has been a slow day)," Baring told The FREEMAN.

Baring, however, said there is a tendency for prices of flowers to double in the next two days with just remaining supply left available for sale.

Teresita Padernal, a 54-year-old candle vendor of Nene's Flower Shop, agreed with Baring,  saying the current crisis and typhoons hitting the country one after the other has led to low demand and less supply of flowers this year.

With a fixed amount of P2,000 as capital, Padernal said she earned P5,000 to P6, 000 from Oct. 27 to 31 in 2011 and 2012 compared to just P3,500 this year.

Meanwhile, candle vendor Jeralden Bacus said that in 2012, all her candles were sold out they even had to order more stocks to accommodate the high demand.

Last Oct. 27 to 30, she said they just earned P5,000 compared to P10,000 for the same period last year and in 2011.

Bacus said she spent P10,000 as capital for this year, with a 10-percent decrease in the supply of candles compared to 2012.

She looks forward to still being able to sell more today, when prices would already be lower by 20 percent.

Candle vendor Cherrie Adam Caramelo, 25,  likewise said she did not expect for demand to be low by this time of year.

 "Mingaw gyud karong tuiga, pwerteng mingawa. Dapat gani dagsa na ang mag tawo ron (Sale is low this year. Supposedly, there should be a lot of people already)," she told The FREEMAN.

Caramelo said that she earned P16,000 last year but only P2,000 for the same period this year.

She still remains optimistic, however, that business would perk up today and tomorrow. — (FREEMAN)