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The Christmas shops are already full of Christmas items. People should take advantage of this, according to shopping malls across the country that TV 2 has spoken to.
They believe that people already, two months before Christmas, should start shopping for Christmas gifts to avoid people staying too close in stores in December.
The manager of the Pernilla Källström store at Kitch’n Torggata in Oslo fears the consequences of violating infection control rules.
– If employees become infected, we must close. So the whole store must be quarantined. It’s a crisis if it were to happen, he tells TV 2.
Not only is it important to stay away from employees, customers should also stay away from each other, he says.
CHRISTMAS: One of the measures Kitch’n is introducing is that employees do not wrap gifts if there is a queue. Photo: Karen Setten / TV 2
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The store manager describes the run-up to Christmas in the store as “chaos.”
– In previous years, there have been a lot of people during the day and afternoons. When there are more people, there is a line of several meters to the checkout, says Källström and continues:
– I’m excited about how this year will be, if people will be more aware when they line up, that they can keep their distance. If so, it’s good for both customers and us.
If it’s like in previous years, this year’s Christmas shopping chaos will include corona infection.
Kitch’n’s boss believes that people will go to the stores to buy Christmas presents like before.
– I think people will buy as before because many want to have a Christmas atmosphere and many get it in stores. It’s not the same as sitting at home and shopping online, although we encourage people to do so, says Källström.
– Takes care of everything
Kitch’n’s boss says that in April, when the store reopened after the close of the previous month, people were good and careful to keep their distance, among other things.
Now he talks about a different daily life.
– People are like before the pandemic. They take care of everything. I can understand that, but I ask people not to touch things they shouldn’t buy, says Källström and continues:
– People who wear a mask on the street take it off when they enter and speak.
-I also have to tell people to keep their distance, continue.
The store manager points out that many are also good at following infection control rules.
She says she’s a bit worried about being infected, but says she hopes they and customers will avoid being in her store by taking the necessary steps.
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING: Deputy Health Director Espen Rostrup Nakstad says he still hasn’t thought about Christmas shopping. Photo: Truls Aagedal / TV 2
Not yet
Deputy Health Director Espen Rostrup Nakstad says that he himself has not yet started shopping for Christmas, but says he will follow the advice to buy at a time when people are not usually in stores.
– What can the Christmas action say about the infection situation in Norway?
– We do not know yet, but it is unfortunate that they all negotiate on the same Saturday in the middle of the day of December. It can be very tight in space and difficult to keep your distance, Nakstad tells TV 2 and continues:
– Throughout the pandemic, we’ve said that it may be wise to buy at slightly different times of the day, distribute it, and not necessarily buy when everyone else is going to buy.
The deputy health director says he hopes that the good culinary culture that Norwegians have received during the pandemic, where they maintain a distance of one meter, will continue into the future.
– I well understand that you are concerned among the employees of the store where you are exposed to many every day. It is important for those of us who go shopping to be healthy when we go out and to be home if we are sick, says Nakstad.
Large profits
November and December, before Christmas, are for many stores the time of year when they make the most money.
According to Källström, the Kitch’n store he runs generates around half of total annual revenue in the weeks leading up to Christmas. This also applies this year, in all probability. Therefore, closing the store because employees are infected with corona or in quarantine will have a great impact on the finances of the store.
– We don’t expect it to be crowded and crowded, but if it does, we have to hire someone who counts the number of people in the store at the same time, says Källstrøm.
