Businesses along Regent Street continue to express grave concerns about the massive negative effect the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) coupled with the prolonged electoral imbroglio, continue to have on the day-to-day operation of their businesses.
In a visit to a number of business entities along the Regent Street corridor by Stabroek News, business owners of all categories have complained about the major decrease in sales they have been faced with due to the increasing spread of COVID-19 and the electoral saga that the country has been dealing with for a little over four months.
A clothing entrepreneur whose store is located at the corner of Regent and Bourda streets, explained that for a little over three months, business has been “abnormal” since the instituted curfew and guidelines. “Business ain’t normal at all, it very slow,” the owner said, whose only name was given as Caren.
Caren went on to explain that because of the reduction in sales, she is forced to live day-to-day, as there isn’t enough money to even restock the items. “I ain’t even getting to invest back, cuz if I sell [something], I ain’t gah eat? So I rather tek the money and buy something fuh eat and drink than fuh buy back stock,” Caren contended.
The owners of Fullworth Store also echoed the same sentiments, explaining that business has massively decreased, because of global pandemic. “Because they had to close up all the borders and nobody not allowed to come in to the country because of this [COVID-19], business take big blows,” the manager of the store who is a Chinese national said. The manager, who asked not to be named, noted that because the majority of her customers are Brazilians and Cubans who usually come to purchase items in bulk, her sales have drastically decreased because they are not able to come to purchase items to take back to sell. “I just hope that nobody get this [COVID-19] thing and the country could open back,” she said.
Andrew Fraser, the owner of a clothing store located just at the corner of Regent and Orange Walk said that since he was allowed to reopen the business, he has not been able to amass one sale. “Last week I ain’t sell nothing and today is Tuesday and up to now I ain’t sell nothing either. I just paying passage to come and paying passage to go back home,” Fraser noted.
Fraser highlighted that sometimes he even has to go into his savings to be able to pay the rent for the building he occupies to run his business operation on a daily basis. “The elections and this pandemic thing… affecting me a lot [and] I can’t even pay my stall rent, and duhs $5,000 every 15 days,” he lamented.
A representative of Zhongda Hardware, which is also located on Regent Street, expressed her belief that people are scared of even coming out to shop, not just in fear of contracting COVID-19, but because of the immensely tense political atmosphere as well. “People are not coming out and shop [because] everybody scared… is basically the COVID-19 and the elections,” the unnamed representative said.
The representative opined that once the COVID-19 pandemic becomes a situation that is under control, and a government is officially put into place, business for everyone will run much more smoothly. “Obviously, COVID-19 got to be cured and the elections thing sorted out, and maybe you might see business roll after then,” she said.
Meanwhile, many stores along Regent Street remained closed up to yesterday, some opted to attend to customers outside of the store in an effort to avoid having people entering the store’s space.
