A word of warning

By Jason Moore AT a time when the local economy is struggling and local firms have been hit by the credit crunch you would have thought that my dear friends the shopkeepers of the fine city of Palma would be making a greater effort. On Saturday afternoon I walked down Jaime III only to discover that even the tobacconist shop was closed. Only a few shops appeared to be open on Palma´s premier street and we are talking peak season. Now, the island is facing a long cold winter with earnings from tourism expected to fall quite considerably. In other-words people are going to have even less money to spend this autumn and the shopkeepers will suffer more than ever. My advice to them would be open on a Saturday afternoon or even Sunday (only for the peak summer months) that way they may be able to boost their takings by cashing in on the thousands of tourists who are on island. It is not rocket science. OK it could be said that the majority of tourists would have gone to the beach but I am sure that some might have come into Palma if they had known the shops were open. Outdated trading practices are all very well, when the economy is booming but in times of recession you must be more flexible. By closing your doors at the weekends you are making a big mistake.