Why garden centres?

[TheoriginalLEM]

Why are they chowing garden centres to be allowed to open?

It's been nice weather so people have been doing stuff in the gardens, i get it, so have we. But itsnot really essential for me to buy a load of bedding plants or wander aimlessly around a garden centre because I've bugger all else to do.

I can't help but wonder if the weather had been pants if we would be opening them?

Yes it's quite depressing. Why can't they open something fun.

I assume because all the plants will die and need to be sold soon?

I guess they’re trying to get people to understand that it doesn’t have to be essential. You can just go out if you want to. I for one will be going to the garden centre for something to do

I guess it’s because so much of their stock is outside. Outside means more air between people - less chance of virus being spread I suppose.

I find it abit rubbish aswell, I’ve never even been to one.

They've already said why... Gardening is a) healthy (exercise), b) one of the nation's biggest hobbies, c) especially popular this time of year, and d) most garden centres are large outdoor spaces where the risk of transmission is low anyway.

Because they are (generally) big, and outside, so the risk of spreading the virus is lower.

And because for many plant growers there is one window for selling their entire year's output. With garden centres shut, plant growers are not just losing a few weeks at 80% furlough. They might be losing a full year's income.

It is outside, the companies need to start business again, the government can’t afford to pay people to do nothing for ever. Low risk

I don't think it is that @Soph88888 I think it's as a pp said it because the plants will die and they will have lost lots of money. It's not to give people another social outlet.

Because garden centres are mainly open air and they’ve established there’s less of a chance of contracting it in open spaces. They may also be considering open air cafes for the same reason.

Large car parks typicAlly, space to move around freely.... why not.

Makes perfect sense to me - even inside they tend to be large and airy so easy for social distancing, and a lot of people have been taking a higher interest in growing their own after the recent food shortages. As a pp said the plants have short shelf lives too so if they stay closed much longer they will face financial ruin.

If they have a whole summer shut, all the plant stock will die or be destroyed, they'll have no money to buy all their Christmas stock and they'll go under. It's not hard to understand why such a seasonal sector of retail is opening.

Several reasons:

Most are outdoors so distancing easy to implement.

People need stuff to do during lockdown. If they can pick up a load of garden stuff it’ll keep them at home more.

As pp- if the plants don’t sell the industry will lose a whole year of income. They’re seasonal- all the work is done on minimal income through the year for sales in the spring. It’s not like they lose a couple of months while they shut.

My friend is deaf, lives on his own and has hardly seen anyone during lockdown apart from a weekly shop. He messaged me to say that if it wasn't for tending his garden and greenhouse he would have gone mad.

Because they're primarily outdoors and research shows the virus spreads less outdoors.

Plus they're generally pretty large places so with limits on customer numbers, social distancing should be pretty straightforward.

Because as businesses they will have to scrap a lot of stock if they can’t re-open; we don’t want all of them to go to the wall. They are usually large so relatively easy to stay 2m apart from other customers, and with some areas completely outside where the risk of catching the virus is low.

Also lots of people have been spending time in their gardens during lockdown. It’s good exercise, improves mental well-being, and allows people to expose their skin to the sun to top up their vitamin D levels.

My cynical side (and I say this as a lefty gardener) thinks that it's because most hard core gardeners are Tory voters and he wants to keep them happy.. This is also why the Telegraph has the best gardening section.
(I await the flaming)

yep, outside stock, mainly spread out, that can't just be put in a warehouse and sold in August, if it's not sold in the next couple of weeks, it has to be thrown.

I'm trying to think of any other product that's not food that is perishable, and I've got nothing, so I'm guessing that's what makes that product type different.

To be honest, if they are reopening, we've cleared out a couple of areas of flower beds and could do with something interesting planting in those areas.

God it's all so dull isn't it? Gardening, baking, constantly making healthy home cooked meals, reading, cleaning out cupboards. Is this what retirement is like (minus the homeschooling)?

I was quite shocked garden centres weren't allowed to stay open as they sell fruit and vegetable plants.

I think it's far safer to walk around an open air garden centre while social distancing than it is to do the same in a supermarket.

It's seasonal, the stock can't wait for autumn, and they're almost entirely outdoors. Also growing vegetables might be very necessary when there's no-one to pick the produce that the big farms are growing.

It has to start somewhere.

Garden centres are large and easy to socially distance in.
Also most people will go in their cars rather than public transport so it won’t put so much pressure on buses.

1. People can be outside to shop - it’s comparatively safe if social distancing is adhered to.
2. there aren’t many garden centre chains - there’s one near me that’s part of a chain of three. Most are small to medium sized businesses that sell probably 75% of their turnover in the next two months. If they don’t it’ll finish the trade and also have a knock-on effect on growers and probably finish them off too.
3. demand is high - seed retailers like Sutton’s and Marshall’s have sold out. People’s mental health is starting to really suffer and they are in many cases, starting to grow stuff for the first time and really getting pleasure out of it. A seed you plant now may still be making you smile, or even feeding you, in August and September.

I’m an experienced gardener and my postage stamp sized garden has stopped me from losing my shit so many times during this lockdown.

There’s a few reasons.

Because

1. They are often in large areas both inside and out so social distancing is possible
2. Most garden centres have already lost lots of money as plants have had to be destroyed
3. Cafe areas won’t be open so people will just go there for what they need, no browsing and eating

4 whilst lots of people have done their gardens lots willstill require plants, compost etc 5 it will allow people to continue to work on their gardens, particularly as lockdown is to continue to June

As you don’t need to go to the garden centre stop moaning about it

A lot of garden centres are mainly outdoors, so easier for social distancing