A GROWING number of local families plan to boycott Checkers over its plans to close Playzone. And some have also promised to stop using Safeway and all Checkers petrol stations.
Islanders, some of whom had taken time off work, were annoyed that store owner Sandpiper did not have a representative at yesterday’s protest at the company’s Admiral Park store.
Hundreds of people have signed a petition against the closure of the children’s area, planned for 4 April.
‘My four-year-old son comes down here about three or four times a week. Try telling him he can’t play in there anymore - it’s going to be a nightmare,’ said Ken Holberry, 53, an aircraft loader.
‘It’s diabolical. Sandpiper comes over here, buys what it can and closes everything. There are 300 children here every week. If they are concerned about money, put the prices up but don’t close the zone down,’ he urged.
‘I will go to the Co-op and Sandpiper will lose out because others will go elsewhere too. People bring their kids here because it’s stress-free shopping. They are making a big mistake.’
Accountant Claire Palmer, 33, mother of Dane Palmer, 7, and Drew Gauvain, three months, said: ‘Dane has come here to the playschool since he was three and he had learning difficulties. They were excellent with him. It’s very hard to find cover and this place did it at a reasonable price. My son loved playing there on a Saturday while I went shopping.
‘We will definitely stop shopping here or at Safeway or any of the Checkers petrol stations. They say they are not making enough profit, but the company before them did not close it down. They should have seen it in the budget forecast and put the prices up. Parents would consider paying more,’ she said.
Senior trust and company administrator Kelly Jones, 30, who has children aged five and 16 months, said: ‘It’s not just convenient for the people who have children but also those who don’t, because the children aren’t in the store.’
Claire Annetts, 24, mother of Malachy Ozanne, 3, said: ‘It’s very useful for me when I do my shopping. He is here twice a week and I don’t want to have to uproot him. I haven’t shopped here since the announcement and won’t again.’
Driver Michael Devlin, 52, was worried where his three-year-old daughter would go when it closes. ‘Adele will have to move and she loves it here.’
Claire Fisher, 32, who works at the Kindred Family Centre at Les Genats, said she had wanted to put her son Finn, 2, into the playgroup but now cannot.
Eileen Murray, 48, step-mother of Dawn, 8, and grandmother of Cassidy and Flynn, 16 months, who had been booked to attend the playgroup in September, said: ‘It will be a big loss to the community. I won’t bother to shop here any more - if they don’t want the children, they don’t want my business.’
Event organiser Joan Annetts was told that Sandpiper operations director Mark Cox had been unable to attend the protest because of a bad back.
‘I think they should have been able to find somebody else - it’s not a small company and I think Sandpiper has more than one member of staff. It’s not very good and we will have to organise another meeting when Mr Cox is better.
‘We are fed up with being told it’s not economical - life should not be like that. People have come down here expecting answers,’ she said.
* Mr Cox was unavailable for comment yesterday.
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