Re-opening of non-essential retail - definitive answer yet?

[OldQueen1969]

Apologies if this has been answered before / elsewhere, but googling didn't turn up much concrete.

Best I can find is beginning of June - possibly.

Can anyone point me to an official government source with a definitive answer pretty please?

There is no definitive answers to pretty much anything yet, and not to this question.

No definitive answer yet. Schools are first and that's not getting properly announced until 28th may. I'm sure I heard them provisionally mention July tho for non essentials but that's only if all the other things fall into place first

Thank you both - so basically depends on science, numbers etc etc - I am SO enjoying living on this knife edge...... (sarcasm). And of course I don't want to risk anybody's life etc. Shall have to really embrace the online model then - but are people going to have the disposable income for the fripperies I sell? I guess only time will tell......

www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/22/donations-to-be-quarantined-as-uk-charity-shops-plan-to-reopen

So at least one charity are planning to open their shops from 8th June..... do they have a different route out of lockdown due to their wider activities? which I would understand of course.

Big high street retailer I work for is opening a handful of stores on June 1st and then more and more each week until all open again.

I may work for the same business as @Coronabored and yes, most of our shops reopening throughout June. Non essential retail dept store.

Can you give us a clue which one, I have stuff to take back to m&s

@ssd

Simply food is open now

I don't think they will take back clothes though as they don't sell them

Our Dunelm is opening again. Means I can get on Twitter doing my living room.

Can you give us a clue which one, I have stuff to take back to m&s

Our m and s is partly open...maybe worth checking locally

I see IKEA is opening. Some rules, but open none the less.

It's not M&S! Blasphemy!

Someone told my sister today ( in a socially distanced queue) that they work for Pandora and are opening next week apparently .

I read last week that clothing shops will have massive sales......while I understand they need to shift stock I wonder if this is very responsible. I can imagine long ques because people will rush to get there.

They’re currently earmarked for opening ‘no earlier than 1st June’. Remains to be confirmed whether we will move into that phase ‘in time’ or not though. So lots are planning their reopening, but it may not happen if the timetable gets pushed back.

If IKEA can manage social distancing effectively then any shop can, it's always rammed!

My sister is a store manager for well known High street/business Park retailer. She was told on Tuesday that they would be back to work in store this coming Tuesday to start preparing and for workmen to come in a set up screens etc. Then had a WhatsApp message yesterday from her big boss to say furlough has been extended until the end of June and no need to go in. July at the very earliest she's reckons.

ssd you can return clothes to any branch of Marks and Spencer's Simply Food. I did this last week at my local store. It felt a bit strange; I had a basket of food and the cashier processed my clothes return first then I bought the food.

I've just checked the website and you can return clothes to all branches of Simply Food.

IKEA will be a hotbed of infection. There are almost no windows and the air conditioning is constantly pushing recycled air out of massive vents into the showroom.

Thanks, I think I've had the wrong information, I was told by staff in my simply good I couldn't return clothing.

My partner is expecting to go back in June, I know some other stores are planning on opening up throughout June, depending on how big they are

@Stripesgalore, most bigger shops are like that though. I think shops will have one door only open as they will need to control the amount of customers.

I think I'm about done with online clothes shopping. Massive pain the arse as you forget what you ordered as some things are taking longer than normal.

Mind you I'm not keen to queue up inside a shopping mall either.

Our local marks is being sneaky

When lockdown started you walked straight to the food hall in the shortest way, you did pass a few clothes cards etc but not much

Then they changed it so you came in the same door but had to walk through part of the store to get to the FURTHEST END Of the food hall

Now you walk through the door the furthest away from the food hall so you have to walk through virtually the entire ground floor