“This year we have great expectations, we are out of the pandemic, it is a different year, but we are also concerned because families are already experiencing a strong contraction in their purchasing power when they go to the supermarket. The rise in prices is having a strong impact on households,” Carla Salsinha told Lusa.

The president of the UACS board recalled a recent survey that showed that families are thinking about spending less on Christmas shopping.

“Families are thinking of using the subsidy to save for what is to come and Christmas shopping will be less, as a result of the fear of what is to come. People are afraid of the interventions of economists, commentators about the next three / four months with high inflation”, she highlighted.

According to Carla Salsinha, apart from essential goods, families will reduce expenses such as clothing and books.

“Retailers have been telling us that people are still buying, but they are looking for the cheapest options. However, we have high expectations because Christmas is the peak time for commerce, but on the other hand, it's a double-edged sword...with these perspectives for 2023 let's see if Christmas won't be the time when families will break the tradition of consumption”, she said.

Despite this trade also has strong expectations for the beginning of the year due to the sales.

“Afterwards, we have the sales, another time when people take the opportunity to buy. The first three weeks of January always have strong consumption levels because people take advantage of sales,” she concluded.

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