Christmas drop off on the cards for newsagents

Tough retail conditions could see a decline in the number of Christmas cards sold at newsagents this year.

According to a spokesperson from Australian Newsagents' Federation, over 30 per cent of people buy their cards from newsagents. While there are no statistics for sales this year from the Federation, it is expected that less people are buying cards. “Retail everywhere is down and it’s down in newsagents,” the spokesperson said.

“Retail is not getting better and card sales would reflect that. At Christmas, newsagents sell a lot of personalised cards, but not as many boxed cards as discount stores. I would say that newsagents would certainly be affected.”

A spokesperson from Australia Post said that mail volumes are still healthy in the lead up to Christmas. “Christmas is always a busy time for Australia Post and in December we process approximately 460 million items in the mail, with the daily mail volumes soaring around 50 per cent above the daily average. The increasing popularity of online shopping means more parcels are being sent through Australia Post than ever before, particularly during December in the lead up to Christmas,” said the spokesperson.

The threat of e-cards is also minimal. “Australians continue to send Christmas greetings in the mail, with around 70 million cards sent each Christmas period. A card is more personal than an electronic greeting and is an Australian tradition dating back to 1881,” the Australia Post spokesperson added.

Ron Thorpe, (pictured) chairman of the Australian Greeting Card Association, however, believes that Christmas cards are not as popular with the younger generation. “Younger people are turning to e-cards and other means of communications,” he said.

“Older people with a wider group of family and friends tend to take the opportunity to keep in touch. Younger consumers tend to be very time-poor – or profess to be – and have a tighter circle of friends and acquaintances.”

Thorpe also estimated that "Christmas card purchases are probably at the same level of last year."

Card suppliers, Hallmark and John Sands did not return calls at the time of going to press.