Shopping, it's ours

Czechs' spending in September was low, analysts announced Wednesday. Declining retail revenues prove it. Have people become defiant in the face of monstrous price increases by food producers in the last couple of months? No, there's no threat of „civil disobedience“. The low autumn spending is just a time-out before the upcoming Christmas holiday. According to Deloitte surveys, Czechs are preparing for their richest Christmas since 1996.

Half of the Czechs surveyed said the rising prices of basic foodstuffs will not have an impact on their Christmas spending. They are expecting to spend more on gifts than ever. The Christmas holiday will take up 60% of an average-income family's budget. To break it down: more than CZK 8,000 on gifts, nearly CZK 4,000 on food and slightly more than CZK 1,000 on holiday events.

Czechs are going to spend more generously this year than their neighbours in Germany. The Germans are more pessimistic and plan to significantly scale back Christmas spending in a view of expected economic difficulties. While Czech families plan on spending around EUR 506, families in Germany expect to spend EUR 420, shopping mainly at discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. Italians and Greeks do not reckon on spending big either.

Perfume, clothes, shoes and books will be the most common gifts in the Czech Republic this year. Czechs, like other Europeans, base their purchasing decisions on price, but they…