Shopping Is Going To Be Hard For Many

By Family, Fine Gael, Society
Shopping Is Going To Be Hard For Many

 

If there was ever any pleasure to be found in shopping, for many that joy will be soon more diminished. The rules that are being told to be adopted by Dublin shops – ones likely to be pushed towards others beyond the capital, are going to have a serious deterrent effect.

As can be seen here in this news report:

Shop owners must ensure customers do not queue past the length of their shop front, and will be required to “take measures to prevent members of the public joining the queue” if it breaches this length, under strict protocols issued by Dublin City Council. The rules, coupled with two-metre distancing requirements, would mean that most shops could not have more than two or three customers waiting outside. Queues will be required to run along the shop front, and not perpendicular to it.

The queue must not extend beyond the length of the shopfront, but also must not begin immediately at the entrance door or run in front of a fire escape. Queues to different premises must not overlap, but physical barriers must not be used to control or manage queues.

To some extent or to a lot, these type of rules will be imposed by other councils around the country.

How every shop supposed to police this, councils are not being too defined about? it can be assumed that each shop will have to have a staff member assigned to people control if they are anyway busy or looking to be that way? If this is the case, could many streets will be filled by a members of many shops, standing around outside acting like police traffic control ?

To some business owners and public, it seems to be at first glance, bordering on madness. There also might be the potential that many arguments could happen hourly in any one street.  Tempers might boil with frustration of either people waiting just to be allowed to queue or told you are not even allowed to queue! All this is assuming that the Irish weather will be good enough to allow this. standing around outside a shop in a rainfall is not going to make many people happy to be waiting.

For others just trying to get by – especially those infirm or in wheelchairs on more narrow pathways, it could be a further potential nightmare, just ducking, diving and swerving around the queues and others standing around even waiting to queue. Dublin owners must ensure queues do not exceed length of shopfront under council protocols so each queue for each shop will have to be small but still sticking out.

All this of course is going to deter people away from certain areas as they might consider a visit to a location “not worth the hassle“. Should this become the case, shops will see a further decline in the numbers wishing to cross their threshold, further declining their revenge collection potential – their ability to financially survive. Decreasing footfall is never good for any business.

It’s only a matter of time before the two meter rule will be abandoned. It will go down to one. Not to reduce it, will kill a lot of businesses. Fine Gael, a party that like to look after big business first before people, will certainly make the change if they can. Second wave be damned!

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Staff View.

I have already asked a good few of my fellow Drogheda people “are you looking forward to go back to work?” Many said “No“. In fact, a hell of a lot more staff said “No” than I expected. My thinking was that many would be glad to get back to some normality, some paying work and ability to get out of a home, flat, etc, more after been told to stay home for so long!
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The view from a lot of staff is not good. Where once there was enjoyable moments of staff and customer interaction, many now see far less opportunities happening. This concern outweighs their desire to get escape from more trapped situations they too have endured this last months.
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The idea of working behind many plastic screens, face masks , wearing gloves all day and fumbling money doesn’t endear them to even jobs they once liked to participate in. They are very much aware of the health concerns regarding themselves and customers. Like the rest of us, it’s been drummed into them too, every advert break, every hour, every day, for the last few months. Some have just got to the mental breakdown point of not caring less any more. They too, are so sick of it all.
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SME Backup.
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It’s important now than ever that the next government up’s its game in supporting SME’s around the country. Since Fine Gael took over through multiple governments, too much of the focus has been aimed toward the mega big boys and sadly, their mates that they give regular money and contracts to. It’s time to far better support the back bone of Ireland, the family small to medium retainer.
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