Few Customers In Stores Yesterday

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30636, 30 December 1964, Page 1

Few Customers In Stores Yesterday

Last week a trip through a department store was a perilous expedition, not to be undertaken lightly, and liable to cause nervous exhaustion at the very least. Yesterday, the battlegrounds were deserted. It was possible to saunter through bookshops and gift shops, to chat amiably with shop assistants, and even to swing a shopping bag to and fro.

Not that many appeared to be very gay. Most faces sagged a little, and there were many lack-lustre eyes. Those in the shops were mostly exchanging polkadotted ties for brown bicycle clips, or choosing the books promised on their gift tokens. The only real animation was in food shops, which had been closed while everyone ate all the food they had sold them last week. Replenishing their larders, housewives swarmed through grocers’ shops, butchers’ shops, delicatessens, cake shops, fruit shops, and fish shops.

The first bread in four days was delivered to many homes yesterday, although fresh bread was available in some suburbs on Monday. Mail was delivered again, and rubbish collections resumed. With holidays in full swing, this week is bound to be a very quiet one for shopkeepers. Most offices and Government departments will stay closed until next year, and nearly everyone will observe another New Year public holiday on Monday. There will be late shopping tomorrow evening.

In spite of free spending last week, everyone must have

budgeted fairly well, according to the Post Office Savings Bank. There was no more than the usual level of withdrawals from savings accounts yesterday—even though it was the occasion of the bi-monthly familybenefit crediting. “It w?s just the normal crowd in for a few bob,” said a Post Office spokesman. “There were some holidaymakers among them, taking advantage of our special facilities.” Those repair servicemen who are not on holiday are being kept busy. One Christchurch man swears that his lawnmower, pop-up toaster, electric vitamiser, and television set all maliciously waited until Christmas to play up. He spent the whole day yesterday seeking out people who would fix them.