SATURDAY TRADE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22516, 5 September 1936, Page 15

SATURDAY TRADE

BRISKER PACE LIKELY SHORTER SHOPPING HOURS INFLUENCE ON TRAFFIC " • FIRST 40-HOUR WEEK ENDS An increase in the pace of business and the volume of traffic on Saturday mornings is expected to be among the principal effects of the operation of the 40-hour week in Auckland. Since the reduced hours have operated only from the beginning of this month there has been no real indication of their influence upon the work and habits of the public. But to-day—the first Saturday of the first 40-hour week —the effects of shorter hours on shopping and traffic should be demonstrated. Although the factor of public convenience has been considered in the adjustment of hours, and the busy Saturday shopping period has been very little reduced, less time has been left for the purchase of commodities for week-end supplies, particularly meat and groceries, as the result of the earlier closing. It is expected that the activity of Saturday morning business will be intensified in consequence, although there may be a slight relaxation when the public has become accustomed to the shorter hours. Retailers' Hours New hours have been fixed by retailers in various establishments since the beginning of the month, and noon closing on Saturdays has been provided for in most cases. To-day, and on future Saturdays, chain store grocery firms will open at 8 a.m. and close at noon Butchers will open at 6..'?0 a.m. and close at noon, while bakers and pastrycooks will be open from !) a.m. to 6 p.m. Drapers, clothiers, and boot re-* tailers will start at 8.50 a.m. and close at noon, while furniture shops and similar establishments will generally observe these hour*. There will he no alteration/ in the trading hours of fruit shops, although the staffs will work only 44 hours, and cease at noon, for it is stated that in most cases the proprietors will carry on the business. Hairdressers and tobacconists will not be affected by the new regulation of hours, for, although the staffs must leave at noon, the proprietors or managers have the right to carry on until 1 p.m. The pace of Saturday business is expected to be increased also by the fact that more people will be free to come into the city in the morning. There will be more Saturday work than was contemplated when the legislation reducing hours was introduced, but quite a large number of factory employees will not have to go to work to-day or on future Saturdays. Increase in Traffic Already the alteration of shop, office and factory hours has led to a large increase in the volume of traffic at certain hours of the day. Officers of the City Council traffic staff have noticed that at noon on Saturdays the congestion of traffic is now double what it was. Certain changes have been made in the arrangements for traffic control, and as a result there has been no serious hold-up. The manager of the Auckland Transport Board, Mr. A. E. Ford, said yesterday that the effect of the alterations was being watched closely, and the board would make the best possible arrangements to meet the situation. He did not think that there would be an overwhelming rush of traffic to-day, as people would probably stay in town a little longer and go home at their usual time. An official of the North Shore Transport Company stated that the alteration in hours had definitely made a difference in the peak loading of buses at night, particularly in the trips after 5 p.m. People were also going to work later in the mornings, catching a 'bus which helped to get them to town at 5.45 a.m.