THE controversial Grand Final public holiday last Friday produced a mixed bag of results for Swan Hill traders.
While Mint Soda owner Paula Starrs and Sheree Benfield from Cameron’s Fine Jewellery enjoyed a busy morning with lots of foot traffic and tourist trade, Terry Jennings from Northern Shoe Store said his sales were down almost 80 percent of that on the same day last year.
Many owners and managers, including Mr Jennings, worked the day themselves, rostering minimal additional staff to avoid paying penalty rates.
Mr Jennings went as far as to call the day an “unmitigated disaster”.
“I worked the store myself and it was very slow to say the least. In my opinion the holiday itself is not one that benefits regional Victorians,” he said.
“The concept behind the holiday is for the AFL Grand Final in the hope that many would attend the parade. Realistically, Swan Hill residents are not likely to travel there for it as we would need to be back for work on Saturday.”
The consensus seemed to be that Friday, which this year also fell on the first day of the Swan Hill Show, was traditionally a very busy trading day.
With the confusion of which stores were open and which would be closed, some traders felt that business opportunities were lost.
For more on this story pick up a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (October 7, 2015).
