The few shops that open for cruise passengers do little trade
Monday 16th May 2011, 2:29PM BST.
Emily Sherwill reported few sales during Seasalt’s first Sunday opening in over a year. (1136521)
JUST a handful of shops opened yesterday, leaving nearly 4,000 cruise ship tourists with nothing to do.
The vast majority of shops decided against opening on the Sunday, including UK chains such as HMV, New Look, WH Smith, Next, Boots and Monsoon, although the 3,780-passenger Costa Pacifica was off Guernsey.
The mixture of Italian, French and German tourists were left to wander the streets or get a bus out of Town.
However, the shops that did choose to open said they were very quiet.
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“JUST a handful of shops opened yesterday, leaving nearly 4,000 cruise ship tourists with nothing to do.”
Ms.Pouteaux – there is a lot more to life than shopping!
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“left with nothing to do…”
Welcome to our world. Lucky for them they were only here for a few hours. We have to live with nothing to do mainly because wealthy old people want to sit in their homes in silence. First sign of noise or something that “doesn’t look very nice”, or may slightly inconvenience someone, and they are on the phone moaning away. The states can’t be bothered, or only listen to above mentioned moaning, wealthy old people, or they are the moaning, wealthy older people.
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Coming so quickly after the Sunday trading articles I smell a politically motivated report here. Are the GP seriously suggesting that shopping is the only thing visitors can (or want to) do when they arrive here?
“Nothing to do” indeed? Claptrap. There are museums within walking distance of the harbour; Cambridge Park; Candie Gardens; Cafes and restaurants; not to mention the beaches, cliffs and other attractions within a short taxi or bus drive.
Perhaps the issue is that cruise ship visitors are not properly appraised about what is available to them during their brief sojourn – or perhaps the journalist who wrote this report also writes the island’s brochures?
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I can think of loads of things to do other than shopping in town. What is this fixation on cruise passengers wanting to go shopping anyway? Surely they want to see the island, not just the shops. I would have thought they would mainly want to buy guernsey souvenirs which can be bought at most local attractions on a sunday. There was absolutely loads to do this last weekend in Guernsey.
Oh and I’m not old or wealthy.
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The people on these boats dont have a great amount of time and dont know the island so when they are dropped off in town the best and easyist thing for them to do is shop. The buses arnt great and they wouldnt want to end up the other side of the island with no way back ect. I bumped into some people when I was in town and they were upset that nothing was open. The shops that were open might of been missed because people gave up thinking they were all closed. Lets put it this way I dont think they will be rushing back to Guernsey anytime soon. The shops not opening really missed out 4,000 bored people looking to spend money.
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Interesting thing is that shops had the opportunity to open and didn’t want to ( this dispels the theory that everyone will have to work if the law is relaxed.
HOWEVER . as we always do on a Sunday we went to Le Friquet Garden to get a few things for the garden and have lunch and bearing in mind that this IS listed as a tourist attraction they still had to lose money by not being able to sell all of their wares , where is the justice in that ? I have previously worked Sunday and do whenever I wish to have that little bit extra cash
I am sorry but to those who spout that price will go up if laws are relaxed please prove this , I also shopped at Co-op Longstore yesterday afternoon and could find absolutely no (please note the two letter word) evidnce of this at all
Relax the laws , allow shop owners to choose if they wish to open or not , the case this weekend shows they probably wont but at least give them the choice to
There could be the possibility of many visitors coming to the island due to possible terrorist attacks , do we really want our tagline to be “Welcome to Guernsey – however we don’t want you or your money”
Things is that all the other things to do in Guernsey on a Sunday involve other people working , when I am on the mainland I love to visit places like Blue Water, Trafford Centre etc, even something as simple as a sarnie and a coffee in Starbucks…
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Out of 4,000 passengers a good proportion probably took an expensive guided tour. Most of the remainder were probably a bit more careful with their cash, saw our crazy prices and quite rightly thought they could get better value elsewhere. As do many of the rest of us, where’s the surprise in that?
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They could of gone to the occupation museum. And the underground hospital!
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@Pop
Your comments are just plain silly and uninformed.
I know for a fact that the majority of people visiting here on cruise boats have very clear and defined agendas. They arrive with lots of knowledge about what they want to see and do and, know exactly how to do so, within their time frame. In general cruise passengers do not come to do shopping on Guernsey, we are merely a stop off point, another port for shopaholics.
If you really happened to meet up with bored passengers I can only assume that they are loner types, don’t join it, don’t have a pre thougtht trip plan and probably got up late.
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I think this rather proves that retailers are currently happy with the Sunday trading laws. As for Le Friquet – that’s all this debate centres around. Its mentioned on every thread! Is it the owners mounting the campaign?
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My understanding is that it is such a palaver and such a headache to get the necessary Sunday trading license for cruise ship days from the SPP constables that most of them simply can’t be a***d to go through all that bother. Also, there is something of a critical mass effect when it comes to making it worth the shopkeepers’ while to open on Sundays for cruise ship passengers. When the restrictions are scrapped we will see a very different picture on cruise ship Sundays.
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I saw more lost souls in town on Sunday than on any weekend. Wake up and smell “sell” the coffee as I am sure one could have, sold many that is…
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What shops were open exactly?
Seasalt? the shop where you have to walk the whole length of town (and past upteen closed shops) to get to?
Was that it?
Was the Guernsey shop open? We don’t seem to be getting the whole story, just bits and pieces that are drawing a slightly blurry picture.
I drove through town at about 11ish on Sunday and it was like picadilly circus! (not to mention bloney people walking everywhere, perhaps the cruise ships can explain to their passengers that’s what crossings are for?) All looking rather lost,
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At my shop we plan to open for open for cruise ships. We HAVE to work these days. What about spending time with our families? Working in retail, Sunday is the only day I get with my kids. There’s plenty for tourists to do here. Leave our Sundays alone!
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Nick Le P
Le Friquet is mentioned mostly because it takes the time to satisfy the needs of islanders who want to nip out and get something they want to plant in the garden, they can also have sunday lunch or have a beer and let the kids play in the dedicated play area.
As a satisfied CUSTOMER of Le Friquet I sure am glad I dont bump into you with all your doom and gloom
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@ Juliet Pouteaux, Guernsey Press
Nothing to do? What rubbish. They had a whole island to explore.
I have looked up these cruise ships and they are full of shops so why would they want to go shopping when they set foot on dry land?
Guernsey is beautifull and a great place to walk so I hardly think they had nothing to do!!!
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Paul
I am glad you are satisified, pop over to Eastbourne sometime and I’ll glady show you round all the shops and garden centres and treat you to a beer. No doom and gloom here!
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Good luck to anybody looking for bargains at Le Friquet. I was there on sunday wanting some weed control fabric. The lower quality stuff costs £1 per Sq Metre – Poundland in the UK sells 7.5 Sq Metres for £1. Thanks all the same, I will bring some back next time I’m there.
Anybody would have to be crazy to come here to shop, unless of course the poor old cruise passengers still get their special discounts to make things more affordable? Funny what creasey’s can afford to do when they need to compete.
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@Stiletto
Im very sorry I didnt realise cruise boats catered for so many loner types (many of them in groups) as town seemed to be full of them on Sunday. There was more people in town on Sunday then ive seen for a long time on a Saturday (christmas shopping maybe). Maybe when countless of people stopped me next time I will send them off telling them dont be so silly the majority of people visiting here on cruise boats have very clear and defined agendas your not here to shop.
Then again im just silly and uninformed and must of imagined them all.
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Stiletto. LOL FAIL!
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Good post stiletto I have been on cruise ships and when in Port shopping is the last thing on my mind except maybe souvenirs, seeing the sights is more on most peoples mind. We were on a bus on Sunday from Vazon to L’ancresse which was full of german tourists we took to be from a cruise ship and they seemed to be having a great time photographing the scenery also the driver adde to the fun of the trip she was superb with her rapore with the passengers. I say again shopping is the last thing on most passengers mind.
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Having been on a couple of cruises before, you usually get a chance to book excursions for the various ports you are stopping off at, so quite a few people would have gone on these. Otherwise, they would have explored the town. I am also sure passenegers would have or at least should have been advised about whether shops would be open or not and so ought not to have been disappointed. Provided there were some cafes for people to enjoy, I think most passengers would have loved St Peter Port without worrying about shops. Are cruise ship tenders allowed to go directly to Herm instead of just to St Peter Port? Herm would be a great excurson to go on!
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I’ve been on a number of cruises and I don;t think I’ve spent any of my shore days shopping. In fact when we’ve stopped on Sundays (in france, spain and italy) most of the shops have been closed so this hasn’t even been an option.
If guernsey is so concerned about things for tourists to do, why don’t we spend some more money on our tourist attractions like Jersey has instead of pandering to business owners who are using this as an excuse to get their own way.
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@NickLeP – Ref your post at 8.24 am – Do you live in Eastbourne or Guernsey?
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I Le Page:
Cambridge Park?!?! Is that bit of grass really on your offering to tourists? If so, I totally agree with GP that there is nothing to do. If there is, why scrape the bottom of the barrel with that?!
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LePrevost:
Are you suggesting that if retail stores were open on a Sunday you would have to work a 7 day week?
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Cruise ship tourists are milling around looking for some new summer threads or the latest DVD’s it’s souvenirs! Hence my first post about The Guernsey Shop being open or not. The shops at Oatlands and Guernsey Pearl are open, so (Sunday Trading discussion to one side) what’s the difference in having a few shops open in the Town area?
So nearly 4000 came ashore did they? Well let’s round it down to say 3000. Say 2000 of them went on package tours leaving the other 1000 to mill around the island. Out of those 3000, 1500 want to buy souvenirs averaging £20 each. That’s a figure of around £30,000 we missed out on that day and that’s being generous with the figures! When I last went on a cruise I would easily spend £20-£50 in most ports on souvenirs/gifts.
An old Guernsey market in North Beach or along the White Rock would have raked it in!
Some of the liners offer excursions to Herm or Sark too. They have souvenir shops open on a Sunday during the summer months too…
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You’re right dd. Just relax the restrictions and leave it to market forces/personal choice. It will find its natural commercial/economic level and as extra entertainment the cruise ship visitors might even be treated to the sight of one or two placard carrying ‘keep Sunday special’ loons.
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@Sandy, I am born and bred Guernsey, currently resident in Eastbourne.
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This is just getting sillier by the minute. Why the heck should we change our way of life for the benefit of a few greedy shopkeepers and dull witted cruise passengers who would prefer to see the inside of Creasey’s than our beautiful island? So now we should put on a special market and dress up in old folk costumes? It is pathetic, have some dignity for God’s sake.
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Truth Man – since I Le Page didn’t post I presume you were addressing me.
OK Cambridge Park probably wasn’t the best suggestion but it was one of many facilities in a list that wasn’t exhaustive. Anyway I think my point was still made clearly enough.
There is of course the possibility that some passengers might fancy an impromptu jumpers for goalposts kickaround – in which case Cambridge Park is ideal if they can avoid the dog turd of course….or they could pop into the neighbouring coffee shop at Les Cotils for tea, cake and a cracking view.
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oops – just remembered the coffee shop is closed on Sundays….scrub that bit!
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This thread and the Sunday Trading thread are inextricably linked.
I have been on a few cruises and had the misfortune to spend it shopping in a few faceless shopping centres.
We only spent cash in restaurants, coffee shops and a couple of tatty visitor attraction (one I actually gave the bloke running it a $20.00 donation as I admired his professionalism, but it was not matched by basic facilities inside!).
This just shows (thank God) there is no appetite for Sunday shopping on the Island.
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“This just shows (thank God) there is no appetite for Sunday shopping on the Island.”
Thank you Town Dweller for the silliest statement made on either of the two threads on this subject.
What about the thousands who go regularly on Sundays to the various co-ops, shoppers, the St Martin’s M&S, not to mention Le Friquet centre and dozens of smaller retail outlets that are too many to mention?
Are you by any chance a trappist monk who never goes out from his cloisters on the sabbath?
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I do think Guernsey could brush up on its tourist attractions without having to open shops on a Sunday.
The week before last I took my grandchildren up to Sausmarez Manor for a train ride, we followed the sign to the little train only to find the fence up and padlocked (even though it was supposed to be running that day)well my grandchildren were disappointed but my grandson then jumped on a little ride on train where you put money in the slot,only to find the steering wheel fall off in his hand. I went to ask the waitress at the cafe if the train was running and she told me the driver was off that afternoon.On the way back to the car my 4 year old grandson said,” its not very good there Grandma is it”, and he is 4 years old,perhaps he should have a place on the tourist board.
To run this as a high profile visitor centre is very poor and all I can say is I am glad I did not have to pay to enter as I would have asked for my money back, the whole place needs a general tidy up in my opinion.
So before we start opening on a Sunday, lets get right what we have got and smarten our act up a little, Guernsey sells its self but on some days its lets itself down badly,particularly when it is not fine enough for the beach and you have under fives to entertain.
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I often visit Guernsey on holiday and the last thing on my mind are the shops. I love what the island has to offer in terms of cliff path walks, museums and the relaxed atmosphere. I do enjoy shopping but it is not the be all and end all.
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This does not show there’s no appetite for Sunday trading. The 4000 tourists didn’t spend too much money in Seasalt therefore it’s not worth any of the shops opening?
Sorry my earlier post was supposed to say the don’t want to buy summer threads and dvd’s. They want souvenirs. I agree they probably won’t spend much time in Creaseys (regular Islanders might of course…), I would have thought The Guernsey Shop would have made a storm. Were they open?
Beanjar, whatever really mate. As soon as a retailer pops up complaining they’ve had to close down as there isn’t enough custom, but god forbid working on a Sunday or trying something with the cruise ships. Then I will have no sympathy. Like it or not we rely quite heavily on tourism. I would welcome doing what we can for tourism before we start getting tax bandings or an increase in income tax rates.
We have a Guernsey market anyway for tourists (or we used to…does it still happen?) I don’t really see the difference.
But hey if retailers are doing it for the love and not for the money then by all means stay closed on a Sunday. Close on a Monday too why not, it’s not really that busy. In fact only open at 11 and close by 4. That way you get to have a lie in plus you’re home early for tea. Winner.
Personally this topic is getting boring now. Open if you want to, don’t if you don’t want to. That’s really the essence of it isn’t it? I don’t think anyone can dispute that choice, can they?
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Town Dweller
Thanks for proving that there is no appetite for Sunday shopping in Guernsey
That begs the question of why there is a need for a draconian law with fines up to £50,000 and/or 3 months imprisonment for any shopkeeper who dares to break any section of that draconian law unless his premises has been measured by the elders of his Parish and he has been issued with a written permit by those elders stating which items of his everyday stock he is permitted to offer to the public and which items he must by law cover up
This should be made into a film although it’s probably already been done … in the 1920′s
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Your point has nothing to do with the Sunday trading laws valeite. They are two different issues.
Back to the subject, the mistake that is made by the ‘antis’ in almost every one of their posts is to give the impression that people don’t want to shop on Sundays whereas the the vast majority do ‘shop’ even as things stand with the current restrictions.
Our working lives have changed markedly over the last 20/30 years and so have our social lives. This whole process is consumer led and, as dd points out, the central tenet of this entire issue is freedom of choice and removing the shackles – for retailers, their customers and for those who WANT to work on Sundays to provide these very much in demand Sunday services.
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This nonsense about ‘personal choice’ is getting my goat. Many decisions are not left to personal choice they are taken for the good of society in general. For instance, should I have the personal choice to open a disco next to your house? You wouldn’t have to go to it if you chose not to. Why can’t I whiz round the island at 90mph on my motorbike without a helmet, personal choice right?
In this instance it was decided many years ago that people needed one day of rest a week, Sunday. I’m not the slightest bit religious but Guernsey’s quiet Sundays are still part of the fabric of our society, despite being chipped away at over the years. Sure, you could make Sunday like every other day. While you’re at it why not make ormering illegal, ban heg veg, turn Guernsey cows into hamburgers and change the island’s name to ‘Little England-on-Sea’.
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You’ve lost the plot Beanjar. I’m prone to the occasional rant but that one takes the biscuit. As for your attempted motorbike helmet analogy. Totally laughable. Get it into your head that removing the restrictions WILL be ‘for the good of society in general’ because societies evolve and change and society in general is demanding these changes. You are living in the past.
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Why do some people want to copy what happens in parts of the England when we are actually situated much closer to continental Europe? You won’t find much happening anywhere in Europe on Sundays, the exception being a few resorts like Benidorm. Small convenience shops everywhere tend to be open, as are ours. As a tourist this can be inconvenient at times but I applaud any country which upholds its individual traditions. If people spend a leisurely day with family and friends rather than scurry round the shops, what is so wrong with that? Without some regulation and, yes, restriction that tradition will be lost forever. And to do this to benefit the tourist industry is as ludicrous as it is wrong.
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I’ve lost the plot have I, Martino? That’s rich. Rather than ruin Guernsey wouldn’t it be easier if you just move to Southampton where you can shop at West Quay every day of the year for as long as you like? Would that bring you happiness and contentment? The true comparison for Guernsey is not a city like Southampton with its shopping malls but a rural market town where very little opens on Sunday, even in your beloved England. Does ‘quality of life’ have absolutely no meaning to you? Perhaps not, since you can’t buy it at any price. Its a shame, your sort don’t know what you had until you’ve thrown it away.
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“If people spend a leisurely day with family and friends rather than scurry round the shops, what is so wrong with that? Without some regulation and, yes, restriction that tradition will be lost forever.”
What utter nonsense. If some people want to scurry around the shops on Sundays there will be nothing whatsoever to prevent you having your leisurely day with family and friends. The two are not mutually exclusive. Why don’t you just do your thing and let other people do theirs?
Also, nobody is trying to copy what happens in England. This is about removing Guernsey restrictions because Guernsey people no longer want to have their lives stifled by them. I don’t give a stuff what happens in England or on the continent for that matter. It’s what happens here that counts.
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Beanjar
Whilst I respect your views in your 10.58am post the big question is ….. Are the big shops closed on the Continent by law (with severe penalties)or are they allowed to open but have chosen not to?
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Who are you to dictate, Beanjar, what quality of life is? Quality of life means different things to different people. All this melodramatic nonsense about ruining Guernsey and making the island like Southampton is a piece of pure fiction swirling around in your head, not mine. I’ve never even heard of West Quay let alone shopped in it.
Returning to reality, you are deliberately overstating the effects of removing the unpopular, restrictive and unnecessary Sunday trading laws.
You are simply scaremongering by saying it’ll be the end of the word as we know it. It did not happen when the ban was lifted on Sunday petrol sales. It did not happen when the ban on Sunday pub opening was lifted. It will not happen when the crazy trading laws are consigned to history too.
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Ray, I am not an expert on European law but I believe the situation in most regions, including France, is that Sunday trading is illegal and offenders are prosecuted. The exceptions to this rule are large cities, large tourist resorts, Xmas and small food shops. Therefore if you are concerned with conforming to ‘the norm’, Guernsey already does. However, things are changing because increasingly the retail scene is dominated by a few enormous supermarket giants, all of whom would open 24/7 if allowed to. Kiss the high street goodbye forever if/when Guernsey goes down that route.
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Beanjar:
Opening a disco next to my house would be intrusive and anti-social, depending on where i live. It is not the same as allowing shops to open on a Sunday.
Speeding around the island at 90mph is downright dangerous. It is not the same as allowing shops to open on a Sunday.
The shops opening on a Sunday debate is all about choice. Your post did nothing to prove otherwise. Care to try again with some more sensible analogies?
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Would Martino happen to be a mate of Dave Jones? I detect a certain similarity of aggressive arrogance and put down attitude in his/her manner of rant postings.
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Beanjar – if we just look at France for a moment. You’re wrong. Tourist attraction town (some 500 of them in France) are allowed to open shops on Sundays. The laws were relaxed in 2009 from the 1906 laws.
That is all anyone is saying here. Relax and update the law. It’s hideously outdated and not fit for purpose.
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last time I checked…Guernsey was an island heavily reliant on tourism. Therefore…a tourist town.
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Its all about choice, is it? OK, I choose to live in a quaint little island with a slow pace of life, particularly on Sundays. I choose not to have to pay more if commercial pressures force retailers to open 7 days a week. martino, are you oh so busy that you can’t possibly go to the shops on any other day? Is Guernsey too ‘old fashioned’ for you? Boo hoo – get over it.
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If (as seems likely) the Sunday trading restrictions are lifted wouldn’t it be great if all shops were allowed to open but the vast majority of people freely chose not to shop? Few sales – no point opening – shops shut on Sundays.
Wouldn’t that please everyone? Those who support liberalisation will have got their way; those who oppose it will also be happy as no shops are opening.
As a fringe benefit it would also stop this endless debate we’re all engaged in and let us move on to something slightly more interesting! ;-)
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Of course the shops weren’t busy, they are the same shops that these people have at home.
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Paul
This 55 post thread will eventually die a death,as did the 100 plus posts about four months ago, but will no doubt be revived when Commerce and Employment finally get around to consulting the interested parties sometime later this year
If repealing the law is deemed too risky SUSPEND it for a set period and determine the final outcome afterwards
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Yes Ray, I’d be up for a trial period of at least six months for restriction free Sunday trading but I suspect that many of the ‘antis’ within the ‘status quo’ minority would not.
The only arguments they have to support their views are doom and gloom scaremongering combined with schoolboy economics and a bit of religious ranting and raving.
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Oh how bored bored bored bored bored I am with the same comments from all you retail EXPERTS! You have all the answers and I would so love you to come into my business, run it for 6 month and show me how its done.Show me how you can make a living with paying London style rents-staff wages-running costs but about 1000 time less customers??? you don’t need to be a mathematical genius folks to work out yourself that Guernsey Retailers are in now position to match internet prices or shop prices offered by shops in UK cities-it is IMPOSSIBLE!!! Someone quoted the price of an english pound world, yes you nutter, they can of course sell it for £1 because they will have thousands of people through their doors which is not the kind of luxury we have over here. Why don’t all you people who are so vocal about high prices in local shops work for the same kind of wages that poeple in England doand pay the same high income tax? For some reason thats ok that employees here earn quite a bit more then their mainland counter part but when it comes to retail oh no….. I can not wait till my lease runs out and I get out of retail after working 6 days a week for most of the year, no paid holidays, sickness benefit or the likes and the constant moaning of the EXPERTS that comment in the GP. As for the cruise liners-no these people dont’t spent their money in our shops, they’ll go for a coffee or a meal, but believe me years of experience have shown that they only wander around the shops for something to do but won’t buy. So why on earth should I open on a Sunday working for free for their amusements. Any of you are welcome to work for me for free next time a cruise liner comes in on a Sunday.
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Ray – didn’t you suggest the trial period a while ago? I agreed with that idea then, I still do.
The only thing I’d say is I’d personally like to see 2 trial periods….one of full liberalisation, one of full closure – and then a referendum.
It’s only fair to give a taste of both worlds – especially to the younger generation who wouldn’t remember the old days!
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I opperate shops in both Guernsey and Jersey. If Sunday trading laws where abolished most of the major UK retailers would open thier shops on Sundays. In turn I would feel our outlets would be missing out on lost sales and open too.
Some extra “Sunday Staff” would be employed but the managers and supervisors who work during the week would need to cover Sundays too. Now we’re in a difficult position because if one of them say’s, “I don’t want to work Sundays”, then as a supervior or manager thier now of diminissed use to the buisness any more. So these people are forced to say they will work Sundays.
And the sad thing is, I feel overall thier will be little increased turnover with 7 day opening. However the fear of lossing out to competitors will compell us to open our outlets.
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dd, I see you are factually correct – France does now allow Sunday trading in towns similar to St Peter Port. They also force-feed geese, have filthy bogs and loads of nifty nuclear reactors so we’d better copy all that too, right?
Fortunately I live far enough from town to avoid it so the main impact Sunday trading will have on me is the prices which will obviously increase. So go for it, shop ’til you drop.
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megabored, you called me a “nutter” because I had the temerity to point out an item which costs 7.5 times more here than in the UK. I already held a low opinion of Guernsey’s greedy, lazy and uncompetitive retailers which you have done absolutely nothing to dispel. I may not be an EXPERT retailer like you but I can see when somebody has given up. Your attitude stinks, no wonder your shop has “1000 times less customers” than others. Typical guernsey retailer, if you can’t hang on to your monopolies and your massive markups you chuck your toys out of the pram rather than run your business more efficiently and competitively. Good riddance, if you had actually read my posts you would have seen that I am one of the few people saying Sunday Trading is folly and even suggesting shorter shop hours if it would help lower costs and prices. I look forward to your ‘closing down sale’.
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beanjar..hmm steady on you may get an ulcer!
I have no idea what industry you work in but I suppose if you would constantly hear the same old record from people who havent worked in your line of business and therefore have no idea about the workings of it you it may grind on you too.
Not all Guernsey shops have huge mark ups and rip the public off-most of us as I said before, are unable to compete with online businesses or shops in UK cities as we do not have the buying power to get the same wholesale prices neither have we got the footfall they have (but the same overheads). If you read my comment again you will might understand my poimt about “1000 less customers”I was comparing the footfall in UK cities with that of little old St. Peter Port. As for your remarks about “lazy, greedy & uncompetitive” – sorry I don’t rise to childish provocations. By the way I too look forward to my Closing down sale-hope to see you there to get something for nothing.
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It is interesting to read the comments of all the obviously non retailer posters. Sunday trading will eventually kill the small retailer and leave only the large multiples from England who do not care for anything other than profit. They certainly do not have the interest of Guernsey people at heart. Then you will read all the posts about how there are no different shops and no choice in Guernsey and how the shops all look the same as any town in England (much like the comments we get in Jersey).
To those that think retailers just sit putting money straight into their bank accounts, try being a small retailer and then comment! I know I’m glad I’m retired.
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I think megabored and a-retailer have summed up my posts brilliantly. Any non-retailers care to counter them?
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Beanjar – I wasn’t suggesting for one minute we copy France. You were the one that brought France up with your inaccurate facts. I corrected them. You then childishly throw my ‘factually’ correct comments back at me mixing in something about foie gras…
Are you sure you’re beanjar is cooked properly?
A simple ‘fair cop mate, I was wrong you were right’ go on…you can say it… ;)
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The article also says,that the shops that were open did little trade,just shows there is no need or point in having Sunday trading.
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@ Beanjar
Late on this one and have never posted before but I am a locally born and bred retailer who specialises in promoting handmade Guernsey produced items, crafts, art and all sorts. I open on Sundays because I want to so please do not cast everyone as the ‘Typical Guernsey retailer’. I have a good regular local and visitor trade and last Sunday we saw the largest sales I have seen in 18 months through the shop. I enjoy talking to people and help where possible. We do not make much profit but it is a service to islanders, our local suppliers and visitors.
What is more is that I am also involved in local transport and opinions that state Guernsey prices are inflated is often incorrect given the circumstances and basic economic principles. Many cruise line operations employ their own shore excursion agents. We offer a price for an island tour for no more than your average Condor day tripper and they will add £50 to it which is neither our, nor VisitGuernsey’s, problem and there is nothing we can do about that.
Furthermore. There were approximatey 12 coaches booked from that liner and even at maximum capacity that would equate to roughly 500 odd people on tour, the rest chose to do what they want.
My partner and I have worked seven days a week for the last 15 years in support of Guernsey (the Island) and I am not going to give up now.
Rather than bickering perhaps we should work towards solutions that benefit everyone, for the better of this island. Not everyone works in finance.
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I.Le Page
…….. and therefore no need or point in having a draconian law to prevent it
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Duncans Ghost, presumably the current trading laws allow you to ‘open on Sundays’ so why do you need them to change? I’m not saying everything needs to close, just that the current laws seem adequate.
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Ray: … and therefore no need or point in having a draconian law to prevent it…
Er, yes there is. Retailers who have joined this thread agree that general trading on Sundays would add to their costs because competition will force them to open. Yet they expect no additional revenue so costs and prices will rise. Shops which want to survive realise prices are already too high now we have the option of internet shopping. If you want to shop in the high street on any day of the week you need to be mindful of the problems they face. This idea that we can give Sunday trading a trial run, or that nobody will open unless they choose to is naive. Once the genie is out of the bottle it will not go back in. 24/7 shopping has its place, that place is not Guernsey.
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Sunday trading – get on with it!
Having shops closed on a Sunday is ok for most of the people blogging on this site – because they are either OAPs or unemployed. Those of us that work for a living would like a bit of flexibility – so get on with it!
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Beanjar –
do you live in a cave and does your bike have square wheels? I would not be surprised if you answered yes to both these questions.
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Jock
What a rubbish post.
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Jock
What great posts
;)
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Jock,so how have you managed till now?and how do you manage to see your dentist,doctor,lawyer,bank manager,get your car repaired?Also cant you get your groceries,DIY and gardening goods from one of the many shops open late 6 days a week?
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Yes there is lots to do in guernsey however we must remember our shopping over here is recommended to tourists due to our tax free prices.
The fact is that this port is one of the only tax free shopping ports for cruises on route to the Mediterranean. If we want cruises to continue coming back to Guernsey we need to ensure that we satisfy their requrements.
The shops that were open may not have produced great trading for numerous reasons. On-board the cruises produce daily guides which help passengers identify what they can do during their stay and also recommends shops for passengers to go to. It is likely that shopping in guernsey wasn’t highly advertised on the programme due to it being a sunday. These tourists don’t just assume that all the shops in guernsey will suddenly open just because a cruise ship is in. .
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