Shops are starting to shut

[Twospaniels]

My daughter works in TKMaxx and they are closing UK wide after today for “the foreseeable future”

Also heard that Clarke’s are closing.

Daughter is salaried luckily and will get paid as normal for now, but who knows what the future holds?

Waterstones not coming out looking too good on Twitter right now for staying open.

cricket clubs shpuld also close

The England and Wales Cricket Board recommended that all forms of recreational cricket were suspended several days ago.

Our club is not opening the pavilion for social events, and the league has been suspended until 1 July at least. The high school where the juniors do their winter nets training stopped visitors who were not staff/students of the school about 10 days ago.

Waterstones getting a lot of stick in the papers today...

Primark closing I think.

No shops should be open from tomorrow, it's so irresponsible and dangerous for the staff and customers. It seems like Boris won't enforce non essential shop closures either

Muji (offensively rude when I tried to buy hand soap in there - eight staff on duty and zero customers, if they didn’t want customers then why not just close?)

Do you really think the staff have a say in that? They're quite rightly pissed off because people are still milling about in their workplace on non-essential errands, but they can't just shut up shop and are expected to remain sweetness and light. It's very, very difficult to do that at the moment.

I work in non food retail, my shop isn’t shut, I’m not an essential worker, it is not an essential shop but it is busy. The nation are being told to stay home unless it essential but instead they are choosing to shop for non essentials and exposing my colleagues and I who have no choice but to be there.
People are not staying at home so I’m angry the government is not enforcing closures.

The staff don’t want customers. They want to be home safe, it’s the head offices that care more about lining their pockets than the staff on the front line, they want customers and are forcing them to work. I am always polite to customers but it’s absolutely irritating to be forced into work putting ourselves at risk for minimum pay no protection no thanks and no pay if actually get ill (minus the basic 94 pound a week).

Everyone is thanking the nhs (rightly so) Carers etc but nobody thanks the retail staff for risking their own lives so people can buy their 600th toilet roll. Abusing staff seems to be fair game at the minute.

I worked at Debenhams on a running monthly contract for almost a year. They let all temporary and probation staff go yesterday.

So that’s that, no 80% for me!! I thought after the announcement by Boris last week I would be ok, but no Debenhams have other ideas.

They said they’d give me a call as soon as they open again

So based on this I’d be surprised if they weren’t planning to close today/tomorrow.

@bikerunski whilst our sons club cricket adult and junior nets and disability cricket imediately closed after ECB announcement, Complete Cricket refused to shut down and when the schol they used for training said they were no longer allowing them to use their facilities until end of virus, they switched to an alternative training location. In addition to this I was sent an email stating as schools would be closed they were going to add additional training days.

I must say it made us feel very uneasy that they were putting profit ahead of children's safety. I just hope when all other recreational locations were officially told to close they did the same.

Are all these shops continuing with online shopping and delivery for now does anyone know? (I’m not asking because I want to go shopping!)

I ordered something from amazon for over a week ago (not prime - and life has changed significantly in a week) - came today. I heard the bell, opened door - parcel was on my doorstep and delivery man was standing right at the end of my path and waved with his gloves on (so obviously standing back but also seeing if I was in)

If everyone starts ordering online you’ve obviously still got people in a storehouse somewhere putting orders together, so still having to work and mix. Plus you’ve got delivery drivers who have to go door to door. On the other hand keeping online open will prevent some of these shops from going under. Even if we are locked down, people still need clothes. Children will still grow. It’s a genuine thought, I wonder what will happen. In an ideal world, I hope they can temporarily cease.

All the emails I've had from shops have said that it's online shopping as normal. Tbh the warehouses are much easier places to practice social distancing. Well the retailer warehouses that I've been in, anyway. One person sorting at each bay, another person packing at a separate bay. Orders will be lower during this time.

Retailers are struggling as it is and I suspect many would go under if forced to close their websites as well as their stores. I suspect that's why Waterstones are trying to stay open to the bitter end.

Does anyone know if online deliveries will carry on if we go into lockdown? Apart from food and meds of course.

Waterstones have now announced they are closing their stores too.

Primark and Patisserie Valerie closing.
IKEA doing online deliveries and have extra staff to deal with this

well ive spent a manic day inshore serving the vilest of customers who won't give the staff 2 feet distance let alone 2 meters

and some were just there today BROWSING!! no agenda other than to get out for a bit to a store that was open

tomorrow if there are schoolkids instore they and their families will be told to leave

i've had enough!

I've heard that banks are considered essential services and are open

Unfortunately yes, but please can I ask that people stay away where possible and just use online/mobile or telephone banking. We want it to be a safe environment for the many elderly customers who don’t have access to or don’t understand modern ways of banking. And also want to keep virus free ourselves.

@JosieJasper telephone banking involves people, in call centres which are a breeding ground for germs at the best of times.
Totally understand that branches need to be emptier for those who can't use online banking etc but the bank call centre I'm in is so unbelievably busy there's 0 chance of us being able to social distance etc.

I'm trying not to panic but its not really going well!

McDonald’s closing all uk branches tomorrow!!

Although it’s the right decision, I’m a tiny bit saddened by McDonald’s closing. For purely selfish reasons, won’t be able to order Uber eats from them and I don’t have other local takeaways. Obviously take away wouldn’t be on my mind if idiots weren’t stripping supermarket shelves bare and grocery delivery slots were available!

@sapphiresalute where do you work? Are you in food retail?

no i'm in non essential home/diy

@SapphireSalute I'm so sorry you're having to go through that

Card Factory are staying open, which infuriates me.

I think once cars factory and similiar stores close it will be a case of them never opening again once it’s all over