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Retail should close all Anzac Day

Anzac Day is like Australia Day. Aussies like to be home, at the pub or enjoying outdoors at a BBQ. Most of them don’t want to be shopping. Those of us in a major shopping centre don’t have the luxury of choosing to not open. It’s expensive and usually loss-making.  Politicians supporting families would declare these two days non-retail days … we’d all benefit.

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  1. CraigL

    Mark, i agree with your comment but customers seem to expect you to never close. We are opening (wife and myself) in the arvo as the $50 million powerball will drive customers in and of course we have a lot of unsold syndicates.

    5 likes

  2. Carmen

    We are open till lunch time, we would be crazy to miss out on the $50 million Powerball sales.

    1 likes

  3. Luke

    We have had a bumper morning with trade from both dawn service and muster for the march, all these people expected us to be open even though others are not. I think you need to seperate centres to main street agents as customers go looking to shop at newsagencies especially today.

    7 likes

  4. Angelo

    I had a mad rush yesterday for the Powerball amongst other items as a lot of my customers thought we would be closed. Having said that and without the Powerball jackpot being what it is and falling on Anzac Day I would have preferred not to be open. There is only myself and a junior which will have to do.

    1 likes

  5. Jenny

    Agree Mark, centres don’t need to be open. We had a shocker last year opening 1 to 5 was a waste of time.
    The shops in our centre that aren’t chains are not opening today and I would have done the same except for the $50 mill jackpot and son and daughter in need of dollars.
    iIr will be interesting to see if anyone has any money left after yesterday, being school holidays, the day before a public holiday and the PB jackpot, we had a absolutely crazy day.

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  6. Jim

    Pity the newspaper publishers can’t respect the wishes of those of us who would like to attend the Dawn Service and march. I would have been happy to open mid-morning and adjust my orders accordingly but one publisher in particular saw this as a potential breach of contract – I guess the delivery of papers is more important to some.

    1 likes

  7. Mark Fletcher

    The most respect we could give would be to pause for the day.

    5 likes

  8. shauns

    Had a lady come in and say the day ment nothing to her except a day off work , her kids wanted to march but she didn;t see the use in it .
    It was definantly a bite your tounge moment

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  9. Bretts

    Not only Anzac Day though I agree out of respect not to opening at all.
    But being in a shopping centre I am not able to understand this being made to open on Public Holidays.
    Are we saying that this is for the good for the customer base, customers who are ours really?
    Are our landlords not happy with rents being paid?
    And then why penalise their tenets?
    I am OK I suppose with it as I can open with my wife so no penalty rates for me. But I look at some of the other traders and some need 4-6 staff min to operate and that has to hit their profits hard.
    I then look at the empty shops in some centres and think no wonder.
    I would like to see no trade at all on a public Holiday better time spent with family.
    And as for penalty rates on Sunday……

    1 likes

  10. Carol

    Just saw painter working on a government building this morning while service was going on. If you are going to open a least pay your respects first. We are have opened now that the service in nearby park is over. OUr papers don’t arrive until about 12 midday. We will close about 1.30 depening on demand for powerball. Have advertised 1.30. I want to watch the footy or have a game of golf.

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  11. BruceH

    Any day declared as a Public Holiday should be just that – a Public Holiday. Not a shopping day.

    2 likes

  12. Alex

    We are located in a large shopping centre in the Perth suburbs.
    Surprisingly, centre management has decided to close all day today. Previously, they’ve opened up at 12pm.
    Today, the one day we would actually open on a public holiday because of the $50 million Powerball.

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  13. Jenny

    Alex enjoy your day off. We had a mad rush at 1pm for powerball, lasted less than 15 minutes and now it’s dead.

    2 likes

  14. Jarryd Moore

    Mark,

    I disagree. It should be legislated that lessors can not stipulate that tenants open publuc holidays, but the option should always be there for retailers.

    Many public holidays are quiet reasonable trading days for us (we’re in a strip centre). Today was a very good trading day in both lotto and non-lotto sales. Lotto sales were huge and was busy most if the afternoon. Non-lotto sales were actually above average by about 5-10%.

    For those of us who find it viable to trade there should always be the option available.

    1 likes

  15. wally

    In WA after the majors had pushed for 7 day trading and finally got it against the referendum of the people the majors decided not to open apparently as they could only open at 12noon. THEY ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO OPEN AT 11am ANYWAY. Of course it now suits them as they have already closed down all the little delis etc who had nothing left after 7 day trading came in. Just another grab by the big end of town and now aiming at the chemists and the newsagents. I believe it is against the law to make traders open at any time in the shopping centers over here. Of course if you dont a little black mark so they wont renew your lease when it comes up??? All large shopping centres should be made to strata title with multiple owners to get rid of these mini monopolies. There would be competition for shop owners and rents would be realistic. Good operators would be rewarded instaed of been screwed.

    3 likes

  16. CRaigL

    The other problem for those with Lotto is if you don’t open customers may migrate to On-Line. This is the last thing we want.

    5 likes

  17. P

    ANZAC day should be a day off work we used to manage without all these extra hours (we all can reflect on what those young men went thru)for 1 day with our doors shut.(For those of us who find it viable to trade there should always be the option available.-Jarryd its because of ANZAC day and the like you actually have that option)

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  18. Jarryd Moore

    P,

    The ‘back in the day’ argument is irrelevant. People also used to manage without a lot of things, but times change.

    If customers want to shop and retailers want to open they should have the freedom to do so.

    If you don’t want to open, fine. That is your choice. But our customers wanted us to open, we wanted to open and we had more than enough staff that wanted to work. Why should we be denied that opportunity?

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  19. Mark Fletcher

    My personal view is that it’s good to have a couple of days a year on which all commerce pauses. However, if I was a politician I would not legislate this.

    In shopping centres is where the main problem lies as we don’t have choice. yes, we understand that signing our leases – but it still frustrates.

    1 likes

  20. P

    Jarryd do you open on Good Friday if no would you and “the back in the day”argument should and will always be relivent on ANZAC Day put aside money making for just 1 day spend a day with your family to reflect just how lucky you are

    1 likes

  21. Brendan

    “The ‘back in the day’ argument is irrelevant.” comment is a bit of a generalisation. In the current day shoppers have incredibly broad opportunities to shop without any thought given to what this does to the true mum and dad businesses that open excessive hours just for the convenience of the public.
    In these days of shift work, flexible hours and a lot of part time work shops could reduce hours and still provide exceptional access for customers. We deserve a life as well which is difficult when we become second rate citizens (time wise) to satisfy the whim of the public just so that they don’t have to plan shopping at all but just take for granted that we are available 80 hours a week. The odd public holiday for EVERYBODY especially on occasions such as ANZAC day can only be beneficial for the whole community……..I need a holiday as do most of us in retail.

    1 likes

  22. Jarryd Moore

    P,

    If you read my post above (#14) you will find that we do open Anzac Day (and every other public holiday except Xmas). It is not in our lease that we have to, we choose to because it is profitable. Why should we be forced to close?

    0 likes

  23. Brendan

    Does opening extremely long hours really increase weekly takings or just spread out the time it takes to make the weeks or months figures. If every one is closed for a day those sales should be picked up the day prior to or after closing.

    2 likes

  24. Jarryd Moore

    Brendan,

    If a business doesn’t want to open on a public holiday it shouldn’t have to.

    If you’re opening longer hours just for the convenience of the public and not because it is profitable then make the choice to reduce your opening hours. No one is forcing retailers to open longer than is profitable unless it is in their lease – in which case they knew the hours they would be required to open and made the choice to do so.

    I wonder how many reading this went out to a licensed venue on Anzac Day. They were all packed here. Should they also be forced to take a state-mandated holiday?

    1 likes

  25. Gregg

    Jarryd Moore,
    I agree each business is different and caters to different people. I opened yesterday at 6am (dawn sevice only 500m away)and closed at noon. I had run out of all papers bar 3 Australians by 11.30am and lotto was going gang busters along with mags.The only 2 days we are closed are Christmas and Good Friday, but I am forced to do home deliveries on Good Friday by Fairfax (bloody agnostics).
    If there where no papers on Anzac Day i would have likely not have opened just to do lotto.
    But a good trading day for us.

    0 likes

  26. P

    Each to their own i suppose. For me and my family ANZAC Day is the most important date in our calendar and no matter how profitable it is or we think it is ill never work on it (family time is way more profitable -albeit in a different manner to some of you)
    Ill take the day off with my family and do the ANZAC service.

    0 likes

  27. Steve

    I close for every public holiday so I CAN GET A BREAK! I find not many customers see this as a problem and my turnover on Wednesday was through the roof because people wanted Powerball tickets and knew to get in early. This was helped by Lotterywest running advertising saying agent may not be open ANZAC day so get your Powerball by Wednesday. If I had opened Anzac day I probable would have just transferred sales from Wednesday to Thursday. I’m certain customers only have so much disposable income and they’ll just spread it thinner over 7 day’s. If you open longer hours you increase the % of this disposable income you receive and good on you for putting in the extra effort to get it. I had a few to many beers on Wednesday night and watched a lot of football on Anzac day,very enjoyable.

    4 likes

  28. Carol

    I really can’t afford public holidays. There are too many. OK are Easter Friday and sunday but Saturday and Monday should not be a public holiday. Christmas Day and Autralia Day are the only other public holidays we need. They are not needed and eat into our cash flow too much. Can you afford to for go several thousand dollars income every public holiday. I can’t.

    0 likes

  29. Paul

    I’m in a strip shop and didn’t open at all though had signs up advising customers that I wouldn’t be open from three weeks out. I found my Monday through Wednesday trade was up rediculously as presumably people knew they had to be in early as I wouldn’t be open Thursday.

    I attended the local dawn service as I do every year (I’ve done military service so it’s a more important day to me than the religious ones tbh), got caught up chatting with a few of my customers who were marching (The chap on page 10 of Wednesdays Courier Mail is one of my very regular customers and an absolute honour to know in light of the day it was on Thursday!) and then went home.

    Today I’ve had not a single complaint about not being open with the regulars asking if I felt a bit better after a day off. As one said to me “it’s all about respect”. He said I spend enough time here and do everything I possibly can to look after my customers so it’s only reasonable to expect that I should have the odd day when I get to spend time with my family like everyone else does.

    Steve @ 27 I’m following the same pattern now and not opening up at all on public holidays. Has been a godsend so far this year.

    2 likes

  30. Jarryd Moore

    We used to close on Good Friday (some years ago now) and the sales bump either side was certainly not equivelant to the trade done on the day.

    If sales from Anzac day were to transfer to the day prior and the day after, our trade on those day’s would rival that of our biggest day of the year.

    People will simply go without, consume less or find an alternative. There’s nothing wrong with that happening, but if someone want’s to open and meet consumer demand on public holidays there should not be a law against it.

    We were also able to use the Anzac Day public holiday to reward 6 of our casual staff members who wanted the work.

    0 likes

  31. June

    Our centre is closed on ALL public holidays in SA so we have no choice in the matter but I and my staff were upselling the Powerball from open to close every other day and I don’t think we lost much by having a respectful, well-earned restful
    day at home (did I say restful – I have 6 children and 8 grandchildren and most of
    them came to see us on Anzac Day so maybe restful isn’t the word but I still feel
    very very lucky to have them all.

    3 likes

  32. Dave

    I think there are actually two types of public holidays. One is where it’s an agreed day off work for most people and business owners should open according to the commercial reality. The other is event based where we should show due respect to the event. I would include Christmas Day, Good Friday and Anzac Day in the second category. For me it’s a complete non sequitur. To trade on Anzac Day is to be disrespectful to our war dead.

    5 likes

  33. Jarryd Moore

    Dave,

    Frankly, that’s crap. Christmas Day and Good Friday are religious holidays and are no more important to many Australians than any other random public holiday.

    The idea that people should be forced to stop their lives to acknowledge the ANZACs, and those who don’t are being disrespectful, is ridiculous. One does not have to attend a dawn service, march in the street or close up shop for the day to acknowledge the sacrifices made by those in war.

    0 likes

  34. h

    In my town, Anzac Day is NOT like Australia Day at all.
    The dawn service is followed by a March at 9am, and quite frankly, we are always ( for the last 20 yrs) busy from 5am to noon, this week no exception. Indeed, when the march ends and everyone converges on the shop to get a paper, before finding a coffee and/or breakfast, the joint is jumping.
    On Australia Day, we do not have anywhere near the number of people around the main street, although they may be getting together at other locations.
    Anzac Day is a real benefit to our locally owned small business, only got abused once because the doors to the shopping centre were closed and the person had to walk around the block toget to us !

    0 likes

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