From now on, Czech sellers will be able to spend holidays at home
The Median agency conducted an exclusive study for Czech Radio, the results of which showed that approximately 65% of Czechs agree with the innovation. The new measure found support especially among women. Although men are less active in this regard, more than half of those surveyed expressed support.
“There are two main reasons for this. First, women primarily go to such stores, so the amendment has a more positive effect on them. The second reason is that, as a rule, women are the main shoppers in families; they prefer to shop in advance, while men buy goods almost anytime,” says sociologist Josef Fischer from the Median agency.
The traders themselves oppose the closure of supermarkets and large retail spaces, arguing that they have been deprived of the opportunity to freely dispose of their private property on these days. However, despite the fact that customers will not be able to purchase goods on these days, most large stores planned to conduct inventory on October 28 – in short, employees will still not rest that day.
“Here the question is how this law is written, since it is very confusing itself. It doesn't say at all what traders should do on this day, how to calculate the area of 200 square meters. It says that stores must be closed, so they will be closed. I doubt that this will achieve the goal it is supposed to achieve. Simply put, the law does not specify whether inventory, that is, actual work, can be carried out on that day or not,” comments the new amendment the president of the Trade and Tourism Union, Marta Novakova.
In a number of European countries, similar laws, even in more stringent wording, function quite successfully. For example, in Belgium and Austria, retail spaces are closed every Sunday. The survey conducted by the Median agency also shows that retirees, who rarely go shopping on holidays, do not object to the closure. On the contrary, the innovation is disliked by young people and residents of large cities, who see visiting shopping centers as a form of leisure.
“Personally, it seems strange to me. Worldwide, on the contrary, there is a growing trend towards relaxing such measures, while we are tightening them. Even in Austria, in tourist areas, it is already possible to negotiate that stores will be open. The same goes for France and Germany. Slovakia abandoned the ban on Sunday retail operations after calculating that it would significantly affect the state budget. It would be good if our country also took economic consequences into account when drafting such a law,” emphasizes Marta Novakova.
Some trade experts claim that the innovation will cost the state treasury four billion crowns (over 148 million euros) per year. On Friday, the Czech Trade Inspection planned large-scale checks of large retail spaces. The targets will be those places where traders have already announced that they will try to circumvent the law. Most inspectors will go on a 'hunt' in Prague. Most large retail outlets expect a significant influx of visitors on Thursday. Violation of the new law could result in a fine of up to one million crowns (over 37 thousand euros).
Exemptions include stores in airports, train stations, hospitals, pharmacies, and gas stations. Some shopping centers will also be open, with only those retail spaces exceeding 200 square meters not operating. About 5% of the population plans to shop online, since the law applies only to so-called 'brick-and-mortar' stores.