Just a few days from reopening the ports of entry, businesses in downtown Laredo say they are not reporting a high volume of shoppers.
CBP officers previously reported a slow spike in vehicle traffic and a high volume of pedestrians, however, not enough to spike sales.
“Well there were some increases in sales but not a big deal. Hopefully this weekend the sales will increase as you know it is a Mexican holiday,” said Hugo Mendiola, Manager of Zorba.
“We have not seen a lot of clients, not how we anticipated,” said Marle Flores of Laredo Sportswear.
But store owners say they are happy to report a different outlook on the environment.
“Well actually, if you walk around downtown you can see a lot of people from Mexico, so that’s a good sign for all of us. I think there are more people than before and with the free parking, this is more movement downtown,” said Carmen M., Miembro de la Comunidad.
Some store owners believe the requirement of being fully vaccinated may be the reason. There is not much traffic is downtown Laredo.
But businesses are not losing hope. They are hopeful there will be more shoppers in the next few weeks.
