GST day minus one
By JOCELYN McNEE Everyone is talking about it. Dairy owners, people on buses, waitresses in restaurants, the telephonists, even exercise class instructors are mentioning it ... and they all agree on one thing: no-one knows exactly what is going to happen after tonight when goods and services tax is introduced. Some people have reacted by going on enorm-. ous buying sprees. Most retailers report an upturn in sales and yesterday many said takings were up when compared with normal Mondays which are traditionally slow. The D.I.C. store manager, Mr Harvey Bray, said there had been “panic” buying, especially in the clothing departments. He said people were buying essential clothing,
including one customer who had spent $2OO on men’s underpants and socks in anticipation of a price increase. Crockery seems to be popular too. Retailers say dinner sets are selling well. With large increases imminent, furnishings, floor coverings, appliances, washing machines, and refrigerators are being snapped up. Liquor and groceries have also been in demand, with shoppers keen to beat GST. One supermarket manager said his customers were shopping earlier in the week to avoid GST. A liquor store supervisor said people were buying cases of wine, rather than single bottles, and larger bottles of spirits. Most retailers predicted a hectic day to-
day. Linwood City Supervalue will have extra staff working to cope with the expected demand and D.I.C. will be open until 9 p.m. Today will also be the last chance for shoppers to pay off layby items before they attract the new tax. Some retailers said yesterday that they had very few layby items on hand, since customers had paid them off to avoid GST. The president of the Canterbury-Westland Retailers’ Federation, Mr Mark Ballantyne, thinks most retailers now have the bulk of the work associated with GST behind them. “We have known about these changes for two years and the preparation has been done, come Wednesday, October 1, and it will all be up and flying,” he said.
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Press, 30 September 1986, Page 6
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334GST day minus one Press, 30 September 1986, Page 6
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