Business opening in Vienna: some queues, but no cheers – Coronavirus Vienna

Stores in other sectors were often only moderately visited. Commerce is still “far from the hurray,” according to the Chamber of Commerce.

On the longest shopping street in Vienna, Mariahilfer Strasse, there was already a lot of hustle on Saturday at lunchtime. Here are many international label stores, which are over 400 square meters and therefore had to remain closed when it first opened two weeks ago. However, H&M, Peek & Cloppenburg and Co. should not have been in such a hurry after a month and a half of closing. There was a lot of space in the branches, there were no queues for a local APA inspection.

There was no need to worry about an overload at the XXXLutz branch near the town hall in the morning, though it has to be said that according to the 10-square-meter rule, up to 1,778 people are allowed at the same time, as a published notice explains at the entrance. Although there was a lot of customer activity, the crowds were far away, even in the garden furniture department. Only in the elevators was it sometimes narrowed because the indication that only two people were allowed per elevator according to Corona’s specifications was not always consciously seen or ignored.

The situation is different in the Gerngross shopping center located in the “Mahü”. Not only did he have to wait for entry at the entrance, but there was also a block handling on the escalator. The tail in front of the Saturn branch, located on the fourth and fifth floors, started on the first floor. The other stores in the building could only dream in such a hurry on the day of the reopening. Even at your local sporting goods retailer, you can walk in without queuing.

Vienna President Rainer Trefelik confirmed this impression in the APA interview. “We had electronics and Ikea in Vienna
today the phenomenon of the hardware store “, alluded to long lines,
who left home improvement stores two weeks ago on the first day of opening
It had formed. “But otherwise looting is still very important
expandable “, Trefelik described the generally reduced buying mood
Captain

This analysis was also reflected in an APA visit to the city of Lugner. While the house itself was quite bustling, the stores were crowded at most moderately, with one exception: the Media Markt branch. There, too, dozens of people had to wait in long lines until security guards let them in, if enough customers had left the store again. A lot was happening at the neighboring Western Union location, too, where many people were waiting to make international money transfers.

Owner Richard Lugner was generally satisfied: “The frequency is very good, a lot is happening unexpectedly,” he said in an APA interview. There was no counting system in Lugner City to comply with the rule that ten square meters per customer must be available. “We don’t need that because we have around 25,000 visitors a day, but according to the specifications, we should have as many as 45,000,” said the master builder. Of course, the stores themselves depend on verifying the number of customers, for example, issuing counted shopping baskets or, as in the case of a shoe store, using limited footwear.

Trefelik also said that the frequency in the city was quite positive, “but we are still far from the hurray.” The camera rep expects a maximum of 60 percent from a conventional sales day on Saturday. However, he warned about discount battles. “At best, this is a quick way to obtain liquidity, but it is not sustainable crisis management,” Trefelik warned. You have to go up every day until customers re-experience the shopping experience despite Corona’s actions.