I just found Athletes Foot, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and Rebel Sports at Sydney are still open. How are these retailers are regarded as essential?
No doubt these businesses will attract foot traffic during lockdown with people who are just bored.
Not to mention these business will have mighty upper hand/profit during this period.
I’m just confused. Anyone with better insight?
[Edit: IKEA Rhodes is also open for business. I guess IKEA is also ‘essential’.]
I’m on the phone in queue with Service NSW. Just confused.
looking forward to you posting the 'miraculous' explanation!
Hahaha yes.. will keep you posted
Do you actually care that much what others are doing?
Didn't those stores put milk and toilet paper at the front of the store !
Just need a small selection of spices for sale to be considered a food retailer.
Didn't the premier/offsider give an explanation for these in yesterday's press conference?
Well their explanation was essential oils are not essential…but running shoes from Atheles foot are I guess?
Can't remember the exact wording but it was on theguardian yesterday. Basically people still need to buy things from these businesses for whatever reason so they can remain open, don't loyter, get in and get out.
Both jb and Harvey have home essential and working from home essentials.
For the shoe/sports stores I'd say it can be justified in some way to do with working out being allowed.
Brad Hazzard, the NSW Health Minister said shops can remain open and if people need to buy clothes or anything else they can, he used the example of buying bed sheets. If JbHifi, HN etc are open then people can set up their home offices. Athletes Foot and Rebel being open can allow people to continue to exercise.
Of course their parent companies are probably financial donors to the Liberal party
Well surely athelet's foot needs medical attention.
Why shouldn't they remain open? If you have an effective contact tracing regimen, then there is no reason for them to close if you need said essentials considering all the other restrictions of movement.
It keeps the staff paid and (hopefully) the business ticking over.
Federal government aren't paying the bills any more - we have to be smarter in this country about how we respond to this.
Yes retail business open are great for workers and employers. However IMHO, as there will be nowhere else to go, shopping centre will attract foot traffic undermining the purpose of lockdown.
Someone might have their fridge or heater break and need to replace them at short notice. Lots of appliances are essential items.
Lots of appliances are essential items.
I can not agree more
To buy stuff for exercising and WFH. David Jones is also open too for some reason (which doesn't make sense bar the ones with Food Halls).
Yeah remember early 2020 it was the same deal, Westfields still open - Scomo gave the anecdote that his wife went out to buy some jigsaw puzzles, as puzzles are essential.
It's essential to keep Scomo puzzled.
Wouldn't take much - ages 4+ would do the trick
Anyone with better insight?
It's a con
Any shop can basically stay open as long as they stock facemask and hand sanitizers along with their normal goods and services.
If someone comes into a hairdresser to have their hair colored or permed, would that still be accepted as essential?
From my perspective everything is open and everything is normal.
Most people only go out to do shopping or exercise anyway. Socialising has fallen out and most people do that online these days. It's not hip anymore.
agree have perceived the same..
observing rather annoyance towards the government than any scare of 'catching the flu'
Socialising has fallen out
Much easier to control people when seperated.
JB hifi, Harvey Norman and the like I can understand. A fridge breaks down, you need it replaced, a computer breaks down, you can't work from home. They are also large areas so can cope with distancing better.
I see Rebel Sports as similar to Bunnings and Ikea. They allow people do to things while at home - Hobbies, Excercise, Work. Again understandable. I'd say the same for hobby stores, gardening etc
However, to me somewhere like Atheletes Foot are not essential businesses so don't need to be open to customers, but the workers can be working as essential to the business. While they don't need customers in store, some of these can work as online/phone businesses and it's something they should have been planning for the last 18 months. Organising better click and collect models, phone orders with pickup, or delivery staff can still be essential. I know it's not always easy for small businesses, but social media and websites can still lead customers to call the store if internet sales are too much.
If bars can change to take away models other places need to be able to adapt aswell.
The jobs are essential to the employees.
New joggers from Athletes Foot, might be essential for exercise.
A fridge, laptop, router, might be essential from JB or Hardly Normal.
Ikea has food, cooking gear, beds,… essential.
Went for a walk earlier with my wife and surprisingly everything seems open..
Coffee shops without outdoor areas have closed dining in areas but luckily there are still a few where we can have a nice coffee while sitting in the backyard.
To be honest, this time the lockdown doesn't feel like a proper one to me. People are flocking outside, to the shops, to the cafes and and even shopping malls, many not wearing masks either.
If this variant is so deadly, why do we have only 30 'cases' out of 60.000 tests?
If this variant is so deadly, why do we have only 30 'cases' out of 60.000 tests?
Armchair Epidemiologist has entered chat.
Exponential growth is why 30 daily cases is a problem.
Do you want and/or think we need a French or Italian style lockdown?
The NSW government has published a public health order outlining 16 reasons residents are allowed to leave their homes during lockdown.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/what-are-the-covid-19-re…
https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/file/Public%20Health%20(COVID-19%20Temporary%20Movement%20and%20Gathering%20Restrictions)%20Order%202021.pdf
Basically, they're not essential but NSW government isn't going as hard as it could be with lockdown.
Bit of risk/reward - means protecting the businesses a bit better and making people a bit more comfortable. But also makes it more likely lockdown gets extended/more outbreaks occur.
I personally don't think it's the smartest decision - I'd prefer a quick and hard lockdown than something that can blow out to months.
bout 4 days late now - it was out of control then and now they are still pretending it wasn't….hence the openings.
gladys's second miracle after the cruise ship demonstrating she really wants it to spread…what the coalition wants to run its election in…
didn't want to vaccinate, but really want it spread - 'touched' in the head
As a Victorian though, quick and hard doesn't really exist. Well, it does in implementation but then it's a fortnightly, step by step process over months to get things back the way they were and confidence back in people to go out and eat at restaurants and spend money at the shops.
I tried to go to Rivers yesterday and it was closed:-(
Essential is subjective. What's essential for one person may not be essential for another.
Its not up to the retailers or government to decide what's essential and what isn't. They couldn't possibly make those kinds of decisions anyway without missing certain scenarios and having a whole lot of exceptions that would make the whole thing confusing.
It's up to individuals to use common sense and make smart decisions based on their own circumstances about whether something is essential or not.
If you see someone shopping for something that isn't 'essential' in your mind, just get on with your own life. There's a good chance that what they need is essential to them.
If people make good choices about what is essential, then retailers who genuinely aren't selling essential supplies will close anyway because it won't be worth opening/paying staff if they aren't getting any business.
The people effectively decide what is and isn't essential goods and services.
I'm intrigued as to why OP asked the question. Surely, if you are in lockdown, you shouldn't be going out except for essential shopping.
So it is up to the shopper to decide why they think going to those places is essential for the shopper.
It doesn't help when so many stores are having EOFY sales at the moment.
I know it is OzBargain, but priorities?
Well today I saw
Bicycle repair shop
Pool supplies shop
Clothes store
All open.
All not essential
Just like masks only in 3 suburbs doesn't work for greater Sydney, a half assed lock down will not stop delta variant
As long as people know there are zero compliance officers, there will be no compliance.
I cannot believe how incompetent the current government in dealing with a serious outbreak
bike repairs would come under exercise
Pool supplies, im not sure but I assume a lot of them have maintenance/out calls so maybe they service aquatic centers, so exercise. but either way they wont have a lot of traffic
I needed some stuff yesterday from bunnings, was amazed how many people were there at 5pm, it was nearly as busy as a weekend. Back to going at 8pm for me
Everyone had a mask, on sunday getting some groceries was the same, bar the one old dude who had an 95 mask only covering his nose
There is a fine line between crippling the economy and reducing the chance of spread
going off what I have seen in my suburb, within 2-4 weeks we should see numbers dwindle.
A bike is not essential for exercise.
It is an extremely illogical long bow to draw.
Eg I need a chlorinated pool to swim for exercise.
If I run with a full head of hair I get neck pain so to exercise, a hairdresser is essential.
I need clothes to exercise so all clothes stores are essential.
I walk through mud to fish so I need fishing line to exercise.
Etc etc.
It is just taking the piss for a 2 week lockdown, not taken seriously by many, at the cost of billions of dollars.
Norman has a deal with the govt in which it receives millions of taxpayer money, and then simply states that it will not return any of it. It is essential for him to keep rooting the Aust public.
If you or I some how got $20, we would be immured
Almost all food outlets are essential. Hence some restaurants are doing take home menu few days a week.
Supermarkets, pharmacies, petrol stations. are all essential
Are haircuts essential? I just drove to the mall, no haircut for me, and my hair looks wild already lol
haircuts are not essential.. get your other half to cut it for you, or shave it all off while in lockdown (if you are male).. other option is man bun.
Man bun ?
ask your state government - they're the reason its in lockdown. its a Miracle.