Frustration rules as shops closed again

CONSUMERS were frustrated on Wednesday to find that shops and supermarkets were closed when they had been open on the previous national holiday on March 25.

“This has been the case since 2006,”was the justification given by Stephanos Koursaris, general secretary of the small business association POVEK that often opposes longer hours and Sunday shopping.

A confused Ruth Solomou, who had planned to do some shopping on Ledra street in Nicosia and then buy some groceries, was fuming upon discovering everything was closed. “Parking lots were in chaos at supermarkets while cars kept coming in and others were reversing.”

Cyprus Mail reader Martin Rodger called this a return to the dark ages in an emailed complaint. “This is obviously a great boon to those people that would have had to go to work and earn money, but will now be able to stay at home with their families, possibly permanently, unless someone drags our capital city back in to the 20th century (I know it is the 21st century now, but we hadn’t quite got there yet).”

Koursaris called the complaints unjustified and asked people to step into the shoes of staff who work 38 hours a week so shops are open every day.

Head of Cyprus Supermarkets Association Andreas Hadjiadamou was not available for comment.

According to local reports, a proposal for new shop opening hours will be submitted by 30 April after Labour minister Zeta Emilianidou was stripped of her power earlier last month to issue decrees regulating shop opening hours in designated tourist areas.

The matter was an ongoing dispute with heated complaints from AKEL saying measures benefited large retailers at the expense of small businesses which could not compete. Emilianidou was also accused of abusing the legislation by issuing decrees to businesses located in waste disposal areas in Larnaca and Nicosia.