Shoppers are now spoilt for choice in Majorca. In Palma you don't just have the typical out-of-town shopping centres, you also have your high streets stores as well. But there is a problem. Successive governments continue to try and stop shops opening. The authorities have introduced legislation which governs when and how shops can open. This is clearly stupid and short-sighted. Shops should be able to open when they want and not when the government tells them. Take Palma: it has now become a cruise ship capital but only a small number of stores can open on a Sunday. It would surely be a better idea, especially during the summer months, to allow stores to open far earlier than normal and close later. This island survives thanks to tourism and the season gets shorter and shorter so every penny counts. If a small shop owner wants to survive the long cold winter, then he or she needs to open as much as possible during the summer. There is little point being open all hours during the winter when trade is thin. The larger stores, which have more staff, obviously want to open more hours. Well, they should be allowed to do so. The smaller shops are always going to have a problem competing but they must find a way, either with more quality service or opening longer. It must be remembered that tourism is king in Majorca. If this island had to live from the resident population, it would have serious problems.
Shop opening hours
12/10/2016 00:00
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Let me clarify and add to my first comment, because this subject could and should have legs. 1. Of course tourism is essential, but it needs to be optimally managed, which is clearly not the case today. 2. My fellow expat friends like Menorca because it remains how Mallorca used to be. If Menorca remains as is, with not too much development, just watch those property prices rise! 3. My Mallorquin friends, of which there are many, whether religious or not, still see Sunday as the sacrosanct family day. Any change in the law would be another nail in the coffin for local mores. 4. Frankly, the MDB editorial line on this, Brexit (the Brits had it good for so long on the Euro...they need to understand that 1-1 is probably going to be the new normal for years) and other matters flutters in the breeze and is pretty lightweight. In all I support the graffiti I saw in Portocolom the other day. Salvem Mallorca...before it is too late. There must be a way to achieve balance.
Very well said David! This is no longer the 'Illa de la Calma' that I have known for half a century and moved to from the big mainland cities when I retired. After this summer's 'experience' I may well decide to decamp elsewhere myself. I long for a quiet and peaceful winter, never mind just Sundays!
First, for months you have been telling us that the season is getting longer, not shorter, and you are correct. So why say it's getting shorter, in this context? Second, this island is being ruined by too much tourism driven by greed, too much development, too many new shopping centres with global brands, ruining local businesses and local cultural identity. Sound familiar? I know many people living here who have already or are planning to decamp to a much nicer island called Menorca. Your obsession with tourism will come back to haunt you, this island will be ruined in 10 years or so. Finally, what's wrong with some peace and quiet on Sundays.