NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Local retailers say this back-to-school shopping season is shaping up to be a strong one, with some reporting that sales are trending ahead of last year.
James Wallace, owner and operator of Janaee’s Uniform Centre, told Eyewitness News:
“Things are going fine for me—it’s going well. I can say that I am pleased with this back-to-school season. I’m also pleased with the government’s decision to move the VAT holiday earlier, which gave us much more time to deal with it. I think Bahamians responded positively to that, which is good. It helped encourage people to shop a bit earlier. The lines aren’t as long as they usually are because people are spreading out their shopping.”
The back-to-school VAT holiday, which was introduced a few years ago, runs from August 10th to September 6th, 2025. During this period, parents, students, and educators can enjoy VAT-free purchases on a wide range of school essentials — including personal computers, school supplies, hair accessories, clothing, footwear, bags, and more. The back-to-school season is one of the busiest shopping periods in The Bahamas, traditionally second only to Christmas.
Wallace continued:
“Regrettably, we were trying to avoid using a tent this year because we expanded the store. But unfortunately, there are still too many customers who don’t want to wait to be served. They open up packages, damage merchandise, and throw items on the ground—so we have to ensure that an assistant is with them at all times.”
Wallace noted that his company brought on additional help for the season:
“For this back-to-school period, we engaged over 35 summer students in addition to our regular staff. This is part of an internship program designed to empower young people and expose them to a real work environment. We had over 35 students this summer—some of whom have already returned to college, which is creating challenges for us staffing-wise. It’s too late to bring in new people and train them, and unfortunately, we just don’t have the time. We’ve also had to limit the number of people in the store. Normally, we operate with 25 staff members, but right now, we have 64. These extra hires were brought in specifically for the back-to-school rush, and they were selected based on recommendation letters from guidance counselors in both private and public schools.
This is our way, as a corporate citizen, to help train these young people—many of whom will be leaving school in a year or two. It also gives them a chance to earn some income to support themselves. The program was the brainchild of my wife, Martha Wallace, who has been the driving force behind it.”
Audrika Turnquest, Vice President and Marketing Manager at Bahamas Office and School Supplies (BOSS) noted that the retailer was also seeing strong back-to-school sales this year, with more customers using its online platform.
“For us, it’s been a fairly good season. Sales are up over last year. I think our website sales have picked up significantly, so while we’re seeing fewer in-store shoppers, overall we’re doing well. We track our sales year-to-year, and we’re definitely ahead of last year. We’re happy with that and especially pleased to see more people using the website—particularly our Family Island customers. They don’t have to catch a flight to Nassau; we can package everything and send it by boat without all the hassle.”
