Every bar, restaurant customer must sign in under hospitality coronavirus guidelines
Yesterday, the brunch rush slowed to a dribble. Beach Babylon is normally packed to the rafters, but now, barely a bruncher in sight. It's still taking precautions. Beach Babylon owner Maura Rigby says the establishment is taking the illness seriously and has spaced out its tables. Last night it was a different story in Auckland. Social distancing was out the window as punters gathered in the city's bars for Friday night beers. But the Government says stop. "If you cannot go out and maintain two metres from others, then don't," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. Unlike the United Kingdom, our Government won't require close-downs, instead, it's released guidelines for hospitality providers.
To help with contact tracing, bars, restaurants, and cafes are being told to collect the full name, address, email address and phone number of every single customer as well as noting down the date and time they visited. Panhead Wellington has already started. Its owner Matt McLaughlin has a nightclub and he's already doing it there too. "I had my security staff standing there with a form. People are just going to have fill them out. It means there is a bit of a queue at the door, but we gotta do what we gotta do," he says. They'll also be required to do headcounts ensuring there are no more than 100 people on-premise - including staff, move tables a metre apart, and move any pokies machines a metre apart too. "We are in the fight for our lives, we know that. Any restriction is going to make things even more difficult to operate, but we are a socially responsible industry, and we know its the right thing to do," said McLaughlin. While they are labelled guidelines, these are effectively hard and fast rules. The Minister of Health Dr David Clark told he has the power under the Health Act to shut down any establishment if they are risking public safety - and if he hears of anyone flouting the rules, he's not afraid to do so.
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Christmas Eve busiest shopping day of the year with more than 500,000 sales
Busiest shopping day of the year
Peak time 12 noon-1 pm - 563,303 transactions
Per second peak - 167 transactions
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Number of sales beats Black Friday, but lowest Christmas Eve in six years
Christmas Eve has been the busiest shopping day of the year with 9,745 sales a minute at its peak.
Payments company Worldline says noon to 1pm saw 563,303 sales recorded on its network, down by about 7 percent on a year ago.
The company's network covers about three-quarters of the electronic terminals in operation.
Worldline did not have a dollar value for spending, but the peak number of transactions was the lowest for the past six years and well shy of the record 679,436 in 2019, before the pandemic.
Earlier this month it noted rising sales in the first three weeks of the month, but they remained 1.3 percent lower than 2024, with most parts of the country trailing the previous year's spending.
Official data from Stats NZ to the end of November showed a small rise in spending on the previous month, to 1.6 percent higher for the year.
Retail spending has been subdued as households have remained cautious because of high prices and a slow benefit from lower interest rates, and as well as concerns about the soft labour market.
However, recent surveys have shown improving consumer sentiment with ANZ bank's monthly report showing confidence at its highest level in four years.
Boxing Day is traditionally the country's favourite shopping day, but with Black Friday spending also softer this year the amount going through retailers' terminals may also be down on a year ago.
Adding a dampener to consumer spending may be the recent rises in longer term fixed mortgage rates because of higher wholesale rates.
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Poll: Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?
🎁 Holiday Gift Chat!
Do you ever regift?
What’s your take on asking for a receipt if a gift doesn’t fit?
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79.2% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
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20.8% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
Exclusive Christmas Sleep Deals - Up to 65% OFF Beds!
Hi neighbours,
This coming Christmas, why not treat yourself to better sleep? For one day only, we’re offering an extra 5% OFF on top of our already reduced Boxing Day Bed Sale prices!
With up to 65% OFF on selected beds and FREE delivery, there’s never been a better time to upgrade your sleep. But hurry, these deals are moving fast, and once stock is gone, it’s gone!
If you’d like to see what’s available:
Find your nearest Beds4U store: beds4u.co.nz/store-locator
Browse all Boxing Day deals: beds4u.co.nz/boxing-day
Don’t miss out, give yourself the gift of quality sleep this Christmas!
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