20-21.qxp_Grid 04/08/2020 12:07 Page 2
OVER THE
COUNTER
In Two Minds About
Bifurication Are we ready? Will there be enough customers? Should I open? Can I justify the fixed costs? Should I stay closed? How do I best protect the long-term future of the business? How long should I use the furlough scheme? Should we wait for the distancing to change? Bifuricate is not a word any of us would use every day. It is however how my brain feels. The word literally means ‘to split into two branches or forks’ and certainly sums up my torn thinking of many, many days of late. On July 20 we re-opened our Elgin store. This came a week after I re-opened our Buckie stores meaning we now have four businesses running with two more to go. Scotland opened up to non-essential retail on Monday 29 June, and part of me felt we needed to stand loud and proud that day and be open to the world…or at least to those that could and would travel up to the five permitted miles in Scotland. No Barnard Castle eye test appointments here thank you! The other part of me thought that the right decision was that I should carry on solo working as I had been doing in our newsagency business. Somehow this felt safe though not in a physical ‘avoid the virus way’ but in a ‘no costs, only me to worry about’ kind of way. In reality, customers accepted that I was doing my best to keep a business alive. I went back and forth on that 29 June date, right up till the night before. I was so torn as to what to do, but I had chosen a path some weeks before to tie in bringing staff back to work. That plan was to simply align with the monthly pay date (13 July) and protect the business from the wage bill coming straight off the shutdown, so I stuck with it. So, was I right? Well I do not feel vindicated that I managed those last two weeks on my own. I just did it because I believed that until more businesses were up and running, until customers had more confidence, until people could move about with a little more freedom that the financial risk of being open was not worth the 20
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
potential return. Now a week after our Buckie stores being open and our Elgin store having opened today, I am not really any further forward in my thinking. I have seen the social media posts proclaiming fantastic days, but I am afraid I find this hard to believe. Keeping up that bravado, that ‘face’ is all important to some, but for me now is the time for honesty. Honesty with your staff, your customers and most importantly yourself. I sit here not elated, but not discouraged. I sit here hoping for a better day, but expecting a ‘maybe not so good’ a one. I sit here torn looking at numbers that I could confidently predict this time last year to the £1 being all over the place - and I know I am not alone. Above: These Covid times have caused David and others to question whether to branch off or stick to the main trunk road. Above right: David did a great deal of research into finding visors for his team that were comfortable yet not covered in bright colours that scare the customers and make them feel that they are being served by nuclear scientists. Below: New ways of working. David and Linda on a Zoom meeting with Jellycat.
I have heard stories of many Londonbased retailers’ takings being 15% of their normal take and shops in other city centres being bereft of footfall, with their takings down 65/70%. Of course there are some winners, whether they be garden centres, farm shops, out of town destinations and hopefully lots of indies in market towns. There are places people feel happy to go to, but much of the established trade has changed, quite possibly forever. I am letting the numbers do the talking - with weekly analysis of staff costs to turnover and then reacting in order to protect the business. While this may not be overly popular, it is the right thing to do. We have attempted to minimise hours and staff as we get going again. We have kept those members of our team who are at risk, with childcare or family issues furloughed and have tried to give those coming back