Saturday shopping has caught on — here and there

Press, 4 December 1981, Page 13

Saturday shopping has caught on — here and there

By

GARRY ARTHUR

Saturday shopping has not, after all, meant the end of New Zealand civilisation as we know it. In spite of the dire predictions of trade unionists and retailers alike, the first year of Saturday shopping seems to have done no harm and been welcomed by shoppers, particularly in suburban centres. The Government pushed the new Shop Trading Hours regulations through over the objections of the Shop Assistants’ Union, as well as the doubts of many retailers. The union fought strongly for the best possible deal if it could not actually stop what it saw as an attack on the 40-hour week. As a result, shop assistants do not have to work on Saturdays if they do not wish it; and if they do wish to, they get double time. Moreover, a store wanting to open on Saturdays has to offer the work to its existing employees first. If they turn it down it can employ special Saturday labour. Maureen Hilston, secretary of the Canterbury branch of the Shop Assistants’ Union, says these conditions have ensured that shop assistants were not as badly affected by Saturday trading as they feared.

Many declined to work, which means that many Saturday workers are parttimers — but in these times of high unemployment this is at least spreading some of the work around. Ms Hilston says that one big store in Timaru planning to open on Saturdays has been turned down by practically every member of the staff. Woolworths’ South Island manager (Mr A. L. O’Hara) says his firm has found Saturday trading “very satisfactory”. In some areas it has been better than expected, and there has been definite growth, without any fall-off on any other shopping day. Fourteen of the 18 Supervalue supermarkets have been trading on Saturday mornings, and Mr Bruce Johnson, the chain’s sales manager, says the most successful have been those sited in big shopping complexes. Northlands, South Mall, Church Corner, and Lyttelton supermarkets have not been opening on Saturdays, but Northlands has now started to do so.

"There has been a slow but continuous increase over all,” Mr Johnson says. “Saturday shopping is here to stay for us.” Supervalue did not want to open on Saturdays, but their competitors, Woolworths, started Saturday trading and now there is so much business being done on Saturdays that Supervalue “wouldn’t dare close.” Merivale village has proved to be the big success story of Saturday shopping. “It’s come up way beyond anyone’s expectations,” says Mr A. F. Price, manager of Merivale Mall. Merivale wasted no time in opening as soon as the legislation was passed. “We were the first into it and we made the first impact,” he says. Without question, the village atmosphere attracts people to Merivale on Saturdays, says Mr Price. It has become something of a social event. He also credits the mall’s design and its airconditioning with some of the success — plus the good variety of shopping.

Saturday’s business is definitely extra business, says Mr Price. Surprisingly, Mondays have also become busy days, and he thinks some people look around on Saturdays and return to buy on Mondays. The mall has shown a substantial increase in business over the last 12 months — well above the inflationary trend. Mr Price says surveys show that people come from far and wide. Some 12 per cent of shoppers proved to be from “out of town” — from the outskirts of Christchurch or further afield. Northlands shopping centre has only just started Saturday shopping again, after last year’s pre-Christ-mas burst, but Mr John Brooker, the centre’s manager, says that owners have decided to keep it going this time. Northlands has a high proportion of branch stores which have had to follow head office policy on Saturday shopping. Now, 42 of Northlands' 44 stores have agreed to open, and three of the centre’s five major stores will continue with Saturday shopping next year. The first two Saturdays have produced “tremendous”

results, says Mr Brooker. “It was almost as if they were waiting for Northlands to open.” Retailers in central Christchurch were not at all keen about Saturday shopping. It was expected that few would open, and few have, except in the run-up to Christmas. Ballantynes is one that has persevered since it began Saturday morning shopping in March. Mr C. W. Ballantyne says it has proved “quite satisfactory” and the firm intends to continue. Saturday trading is bound to grow, he believes, once the Cashel Street mall is established. D.1.C./Beaths has not been

a regular Saturday opener. The shop will be open for the five Saturdays before Christmas, said the manager (Mr D. H. Bray) and it remains to be seen how worthwhile that will be. If it turns out that Saturday shopping hurts Friday’s business, the store might just be getting a weekday’s trade transferred to Saturday morning, when it is much more expensive to open. “I think Saturday shopping has gone very much as we expected,” says Mr John Willis, president of the Canterbury Retailers’ Association. “It’s been very successful in one or two isolated areas and totally unsuccessful in others.

“It’s been tried and not continued in some areas. Most of the central city area has been closed on Saturdays right through to the last couple of week-ends.” Mr Willis says that with the economy in its present weak state, it is very hard for a retailer to recoup the extra cost of opening on a Saturday. “We were opposed to it because of the economic circumstances, not opposed in principle,” Mr Willis says. “We’ve got to be for free enterprise, and we are. But with penalty rates for staff, and with no growth in the market at all, Saturday shopping is either taking it from another competitor who is

not so well sited, or taking it from another day of the week.” Mr Willis says the Retailers’ Association is delighted at the “responsible attitude” that most traders have taken to Saturday shopping. Competition could have forced traders to open unnecessarily, but instead they are seeing gradual growth towards Saturday shopping — not a stampede. New Brighton shopkeepers were very apprehensive about the spread of Saturday trading to other parts of the city, but their fears have proved groundless, according to Mr D. H. Greig, president of their businessmen’s association.

“I think that if anything, it’s been to our advantage,” he says. “People have become more selective, and when they set out to do their shopping on a Saturday morning they often find they can’t get what they want at the local shops, and we get them at New Brighton eventually.” Proof that New Brighton has not got its tail down is to be seen in the continued growth of the shopping area. Another 10 shops have just opened in the Carnaby Street Mall, and a Countdown supermarket has moved in, too. Mr Greig sees that as a sign of confidence in New Brighton, which has grown

from 80 shops just four years ago to 170 shops today.

"There is a much better selection here now,” he says, “and more people are coming to Brighton to do all their shopping. I don’t think people realise the size of Brighton today — for example, there are now 17 meat outlets, 18 shoe shops, and in my own line, no fewer than 25 jewellers and gift shops.” New Brighton also offers longer shopping hours, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays, but Mr Greig does not think that is the key to its continued success — “because when the others are open on Saturday mornings, we are also busy.”