The coronavirus pandemic has affected the American market and Santa’s supply does not meet the demand for this Christmas period.
After a 2020 without celebrations and with family gatherings reduced to a minimum by Covid-19, this year “everyone has come together again, companies are organizing events and malls have once again had the good old man to bring the illusion to children”, he declared to AFP Mitch Allen, founder of HireSanta.com agency.
With a 121% increase in demand and a 10% drop in supply, “there is a huge shortage of Santa Clauses, despite the 10% to 15% increase in rates,” says Allen by videoconferencing, from Texas.
According to their estimates, there are at least 1,000 empty seats and nearly double the offers for one-off actions at family parties, company events or colleges. And this despite the fact that many educational and cultural centers have canceled their activities due to the risk of contagion from the coronavirus, whose new omicron variant has once again put the world’s health systems on high alert.
The drop in supply is explained by a sad reality: at least 335 people who dressed up as Santa Claus died in 2021 victims of Covid and, as they are people at high risk due to their age, many decided to keep their bonnet and red and white clothes. in the closet. Others simply retired.
Santa’s school
Denver’s ‘Professional Santa Claus School’ has also seen a 25 percent drop in enrollment over the past two years, despite the course being primarily virtual.
“In the last two years we’ve graduated 28 Santa Clauses, when the normal would be 120”, said the school’s founder, Susen Mesco.
“Aging is an important factor, as most Santa Clauses are over 70,” explains Mesco.
The trend will continue in the coming years, warns Allen, as demonstrated by the fact that “this year we are already being set aside for 2022, which has never happened before”. His agency, he says, is one of the biggest Santa Claus suppliers in the world, in particular to Asia, and specifically to China.
“Currently, we have two Santa Clauses in Dubai”, he says, with pride. Customers cover travel and accommodation expenses.
The problem is that not everyone can become Santa Claus, although women have started to enter the market. In the United States, in particular, “you have to look like one, grow a beard and have that shiny look,” he says.
In a good year, working from early November until Christmas Eve, a Santa Claus can receive between US$6,000 (R$34,272) and US$10,000 (R$57,121), explains Allen, which represents a good complement for retirement and a good solution for occupying free time in old age.
.
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
