I really don't understand why this shop is fighting to stay open

[Sparklingbrook]

In local news today. That amount of fines. It's essentially a shop that sells greetings cards, not essential.

www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/19096488.watch-droitwich-shop-owners-given-fourth-fine-lockdown-opening-vow-fight/?fbclid=IwAR3ppJ6EGAtbzxTqChh_5gEFy7oYLe_NtdlTM8K5VaLIkE7yZ4tAFM-naQE

They could definitely have done a click and collect with their regular customers, I imagine cake decorating has been busy during the lockdowns and balloons for zoom parties etc. If they had done 'click the occasion and we'll show you a selection of cards to choose from at the shop window' sort of thing I think that would be defendable (?) as well.

@hotchocolate12 I can't wait for a few more places to open up so I can go back to my occasional poddles round that big garden centre, I only want to take DD round the garden walk and pick up garden essentials but I absolutely refuse while it's even more like Picadilly circus than normal. I went in before Christmas on my own near to closing time and they hadn't even made any effort to declutter or space out the displays, I was really disappointed but couldn't get the gift I wanted from my local little garden centre.

My friend used to work in a garden centre and they can stay open as they sell cleaning and pet food products. She said that people meant to be shielding were all out and it was busy every day ( it's out the way too , so everyone has to drive to get there)
The owners were happy to stay trading , but it does feel wrong when others can't stay open and sell some similar items.

I saw this article the other day.
I do think its very unfair on these smaller shops that have had to close yet supermarkets can sell those same items thus monopolising the market.
I had to buy a few cards from Tesco the other day and was paying £1 each. Much prefer card shops where I can get 5 for £1.
Tbh if it's a free for in the supermarkets I dont really see why other shops cant open with social distancing measures.
They would of been better off not letting people into the shop but doing service at the door which ivr seen a few shops doing. I think they are a bit stupid now they are going to lose everything if they are not careful

Silly buggers.

@HotChocolate12

If they had attempted some kind of click and collect I would have gone out of my way to support them, it is actually quite hard to choose cards at the moment as I don’t go in the big supermarkets. I’m sure they would have also have got a reasonable amount of trade on the balloons and cake making stuff which would be easier to sell than cards without browsing. I went in there before Christmas but it was too busy with crowded aisles and none of the staff wearing masks. I want to support independent businesses but will choose the ones who follow the rules and help me to feel safer there.

I do agree on garden centres though, there is a huge one nearby that is a popular day out for older people, and sells far more non plant stuff than gardening things!

I agree.

Seeing the elaborate balloon and gift boxes people have provided for lockdown birthdays I think that business has boomed when people can't just go to a restaurant!

People have spent lots of time money and effort during lockdown to make memories of these big events.

Not sure if it's all for Facebook or for their future "making memories" but it's everywhere I go on SM!

Although I think they're being ridiculous, I'll be pleased if they do follow through with their plan to take this to court. I am in support of the need for restrictions, but it is part of living in a democratic country that laws can be challenged in court.

@Cornettoninja

To be fair *@Sparklingbrook* I think Argos and peacocks have been on the cards for a while. My local Argos closed and moved the business inside the nearest Sainsbury’s before the pandemic.

The problems with the high street aren’t new but the pandemic has certainly hastened the end of a few businesses that were relying on balancing their costs precariously.

That's true. The nearest nearest Argos is more convenient anyway, you can park outside, it's on a retail park. I never went into Peacocks, have they gone as a business or just selected stores?

I can't see that it's going to end well for them with such massive fines, surely it's outweighing what they are making in profit as I can't imagine that it's going to be rammed with customers at normal times let alone at the moment; it sounds like a very niche store?

A plot twist. They are saying it's discrimination now.

www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/19133086.droitwich-shop-owners-not-paid-fines-claim-discrimination-for-christian-newsagent/

If they put half the energy into working in new ways they wouldn’t need to be having this argument at all

Does anyone know why WHSmith are "essential" as seem to be open? Not complaining, I haven't been there, just wondering..

@YogaLite

Does anyone know why WHSmith are "essential" as seem to be open? Not complaining, I haven't been there, just wondering..

I think it is because they sell newspapers which a lot of older folks still use to get their daily news, essential if you don't use the internet or want to pay for a TV license.

Don’t some branches of WH Smith accommodate post offices? To be honest I don’t really know why they’ve been allowed to open but I’m not entirely sure how they even still exist as a business. They’re clearly running on the rules of a different plane of existence to the rest of us.

I remember saying at the beginning of all this when there was speculation about which retail names might not make it through that although they have no business surviving they’d still be around like cockroaches after a nuclear Armageddon.

WHS always did well at airports, railway stations and motorway services but a lot of that custom has gone now so I wonder how they are doing now with most of that custom gone

@UmteenthUser, thank you

A quick thread update-

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-58247209

So that's that then.

Alasdair and Lydia Walker-Cox were ordered to pay fines totalling £35,000 after being found guilty at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court.
They will also have to pay legal costs of just under £9,000 and a victim surcharge of £190

Ouch.

Jeepers that is a hefty fine.
And if they can't pay, what then?

What was the point of all that.

I have seen Louise Creffield who is fronting the SAVE our rights campaign on Facebook and she must have about 11 charges against her. What is the point of all that or is she crowdfunding her legal costs? She once spoke about how she booked a flight to germany without even checking that she either needed to be double vaxxed or to get PCR tests and went all the way to the airport only to face a roadblock and spend hours arguing with airport staff (she didn't film it either, just talked about it). What is literally the point of all that? Its akin to banging your head on the wall.

Because Covid deniers think they are in on some big conspiracy secret that the rest of us stupid sheeple can't see.

The fines will confirm their belief the Lizard Kings are trying to silence the truth sayers. Buy like Jesus on the cross. It's getting boring now.

I really don't get how they thought this would end any other way.

So they began to sell newspapers etc to become a newsagents to be able to stay open?

I guess it's based on whatever the actual business is described as on their license which meant they had to close?

Could they not do click and collect etc?

Or were they just covid deniers trying to fight for their rights rather than truly believing they were able to open?

It's predominantly a shop selling greetings cards, calendars and gifts. Also cake decorating equipment. I did wonder why they didn't do delivery of the cake decorating stuff and maybe the gifts.

The drinks and papers only appeared with the pandemic.

I think the main point they were trying to make were that other places that sold that type of stuff (ie Garden centres) were allowed to stay open.

They didn't portray themselves in a good light right from the start, what with all their comments about it being their 'god given right' to stay open. It's one local business I won't be giving my money to, I'd rather spend it in the local shops that did follow the rules even though it hurt them.

Well they’ll surely go bust now….and even after going bust will probably still have to pay the fine? So lose their house, go bankrupt, etc?

I doubt a little gift shop would have made 44k profit a year so hardly worth trying to stay open for.

A shop near me tried similar, was an art shop and suddenly had a little table selling loo roll and jars of coffee, etc. Council told them to stop being twats and at least they had the sense to listen and close.