Sunday, November 28th, 2021
Criticism of 2G and 3G regulations
Retail laments mediocre sales
A measurement of the number of pedestrians shows: On the Black Friday discount campaign, more people were out and about in the city centers than in the previous year. Many retailers are still not satisfied with the sales in the beginning of the Christmas season.
The start of the Advent business, which was marked by Corona restrictions, only brought comparatively moderate sales to many retailers. A survey by the German Retail Association (HDE) among its members shows that “only 20 percent of the 350 companies surveyed are satisfied with their sales in the Christmas business so far,” as the association announced. The dealers were asked about their experiences in the week before the first Advent.
According to the company Hystreet, an unusually large number of visitors were in the city centers last Friday when retailers announced the annual discount campaign Black Friday. Hystreet uses lasers to measure pedestrian frequencies in 78 cities. The data showed “for the 14 largest cities in Germany (over 500,000 inhabitants) an average increase in the number of pedestrians of 40 percent compared to the mean value of the three previous Fridays in November 2021,” as the company announced.
Compared to Black Friday 2020, Hystreet recorded seven percent more passers-by in the city’s shopping streets this year. Compared to Black Friday in the pre-Corona year 2019, the average pedestrian frequency this year was 40 percent lower.
The HDE renewed its demand to abolish 2G and 3G rules for retailers or not to introduce them at all. If the 2G rule applies, only those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered have access, with 3G also those who have been tested. According to HDE, there is no increased risk of infection in the shops due to the hygiene concepts and the mask requirement. However, it is difficult to say how high the risk of infection is in shops because it is difficult to trace contacts in such areas. Shortly before the first weekend in Advent, the HDE expressly spoke out in favor of compulsory vaccination for the first time.