A wake up call

HARD-pressed retailers in Palma are at the forefront of the recession. They are feeling the pinch of the consumer slowdown and their takings have nose-dived. But amazingly some have still elected not to open on a Saturday afternoon. Why? Around Palma last Saturday evening there were hundreds if not thousands of shoppers looking for bargains and the shops that were open appeared to be doing good trade. But at least 50 percent of stores around the Calle Jaime III and the Paseo del Borne were closed. I was also rather concerned to see that sizeable number of restaurants around the once busy Calle Apuntadores in Palma were closed on a Saturday night. Now, there are some tourists about and ofcourse we mustn´t forget the domestic market. Palma needs to get its act together before the summer season officially gets underway. Shops and restaurants need to open on a Saturday evening and more should follow the lead by the bigger stores which now open on a Sunday. This summer season could be a make-or-break period for thousands of small retailers but they need to be open. I would urge the city council to re-introduce its late night shopping plan which proved quite successful. Now, obviously staffing costs are high but I would say that it is more beneficial for shops to open on a Sunday than on a Monday during the low period. Palma is a fantastic place with plenty to do and see it is just a shame that some people don´t get the message.