…but suffers reduction in business due to the curfew

MANAGER of the KK Service Station, Randie Williams, said that the popular business place and ‘rest stop’ has seen a drop in the level of business since the implementation of the nationwide curfew, as part of the efforts to curb the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday, Williams said that the business which houses a gas station, snackette, pharmacy and supermarket in Unity, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, has been compliant with the restrictions for opening hours as stipulated by the central government.

Williams said that the business which was established in 2011 has been having difficulty in sourcing a number of essential items that customers usually frequent the establishment for. He said that suppliers in Georgetown complain of difficulties in clearing shipments of supplies due to the restrictions. As a result of this, some items have had to be sourced elsewhere, oftentimes at higher than usual prices.

“In terms of the business, since the curfew has been implemented the business is reduced…sales just went down,” he related.
He said that the kitchen business, minimart, gas station all suffered from reduced business.
“In terms of measures here, we had a meeting with the village office at the beginning of the curfew and other measures and we put some systems in place as a result. We have a sink with soap and running water, and, for the cashier, we had to put a glass partition [in her area]. All of the workers have to wear masks and in some cases gloves. We had signs posted up with the messages regarding sanitisation and distancing and we also made markings on the ground where persons needed to stand to ensure they were the required distance from each other,” he said,

Further, the manager said that the minimart staff usually monitor the number of persons in the facility at one time, ensuring that social distancing is observed.
“It’s a big area, so we allow only ten persons at a time. We have somebody at the door ensuring persons wash their hands,” he said.
However, he said that while there has been some degree of resistance, most of the customers are adhering to the measures.

“Although we have this system in place and we have signs and all of that, we’re telling people to do these things and some of them saying that they already wash their hands at home before they came. Obviously people have to come in the store with masks. We sell masks here too…they say they don’t have and we told them they could purchase or they can’t come in. we are having difficulty with this part of it because we have different types of people we dealing with. They want some item which is important to them in the store and they don’t have a mask and they don’t want to buy a mask and they want to come in,” he said.

He noted too that he sells masks for $300 each. He noted that the store had some that they sold for $200 each but these ran out and they had to source from a different supplier at a higher price.

Williams said that, with regards to restocking, they purchase items from various companies and sometimes travelling merchants sell to the business. “We are not getting some items from the stores. He said that businesses blame COVID-19 – related staff shortages for delays in delivery. “We are not getting some of the essential items that we normally sell regularly. Right now we are out of stock in some items. They are saying that the containers at the wharf and there is a long process,” he said.

Asked whether the store has had to increase prices for some items, he said yes. “We have had to increase prices for hand soaps for example. Is not because I want to increase it but because I bought it for a higher price [since the concerns over COVID-19]. So definitely the prices for hand soap and hand sanitisers had to be increased,” he said.

Williams pointed out that the curfew and restrictions, while important for arresting the spread of the disease, are certainly taking their toll on businesses like K&K Service Station.