The grand reopening?

The shops reopened on Monday and, not surprisingly, shopping experts were keen to analyse the evidence, even though it was on the basis of a single days events.

Shops were keen to congratulate themselves on the way that they organised the situation. It is clear to me that shops did make a serious effort to make their shops as safe as possible. But enforcing social distancing among customers and ensuring that customers didn’t put goods back on shelves after handling them was proving impossible.

Shops reported that a higher than average proportion of visitors were actually buying something.

There was also a feeling that customers knew what they were going to buy, and which shop they would buy it at. Customers browsing and buying on impulse seems to be out of fashion, for the time being at least.

It was the cheaper stores (eg Primark) that had the longest queues, and the analysts are saying that even among upmarket stores, those perceived as offering the best value for money had the edge.

There were also reports that independent shops offering good customer service reported a swift return by shoppers who were regular customers before lockdown.

Charity shops that have reopened also reported brisk trade.

Overall footfall on High Streets rose by more than 50% on Monday from the previous week (but down by one third on the previous year), while retail parks and shopping centres saw increases of more than one third on the previous week. Tuesday was noticeably quieter and rain and thunderstorms around the country since then seems to have kept many shoppers away later in the week.

Hearsay from a number of sources suggests that many did not see the need to rush back to the city centres, especially if they could meet their shopping needs locally or online. Others stayed away for their own safety.