Retailers defiant over Easter

Bethlehem Palmers Garden Centre owner Peter Wayman said Good Friday was a busy day. Photo / George Novak

A number of Western Bay retailers are calling for a change in the law after ignoring Easter trading restrictions for another year to cash in on one of the busiest weekends and satisfy frustrated customers.

Nearly all shops were required to be closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday under the Shop Trading Hours Repeal Act 1990, but many still chose to open, despite the risk of a $1000 fine. Where stores remained closed, people resorted to buying and selling items like alcohol on community Facebook pages.

Mount Mainstreet manager Peter Melgren said Mount Maunganui had been packed with people from all over the country over Easter, many frustrated to see a lot of the shops closed.

"Mount Maunganui is a visitor destination for a long weekend," he said. "It's a shame all the shops can't open ... there's hundreds of people over here, it's amazing."

Opening at Easter was now more about satisfying customers than just about businesses "cashing in", he said.

"It comes down to an expected level of service."

No doubt, there would be "one or two" stores open in contrary to the law, he said, but he had not gone looking.

Mane Menswear on Maunganui Rd opened yesterday and owner Michael Galvin said he wanted the law to allow stores the choice to open or not.

"In the Mount, it's a tourist destination," he said. "It's quite an ask for us to give up one of the busiest weekends of the year for a traditional Christian holiday.

"Everyone comes here expecting us to open and in the past if we didn't open we got a lot of negative feedback from customers."

Both Mount Surf Shop stores were open, as well as North Beach on Maunganui Rd and Backdoor on Pacific Ave.

Backdoor manager Doug Mercer did not know why the outlet's headquarters decided to open on Easter Sunday but said it had been a great trading weekend.

"It's been really busy and an amazing weekend for us."

The Gilded Edge was also open but the staff declined to comment.

Palmers Garden Centre in Bethlehem opened on Good Friday and Easter Sunday and owner Peter Wayman said it was one of the busiest Good Fridays since the store opened in 2007.

He had opened the centre most years as it was one of the year's top five trading weekends.

"If we don't open, people are pretty much banging down the door ... In past years people get annoyed and they still turn up at the gate."

He hoped the law would change by 2016 to allow stores to make their own decision whether to open or not.

Until then, "if we do get fined, so be it, but we keep our fingers crossed".

Destiny Church pastor Leon Samuels said stores would do what they wanted, with or without the rules. But he supported the idea of everyone, Christian or not, taking a few days out of every year.

"Two or three days out of the year is not much to ask for, to honour the significance of those days.

"If they want to open the store then I'm sure they're going to do it anyway - but I just think it's a great idea to set aside those days, not only to recognise the resurrection of Christ, but just to take time out with the family - because that can be few and far between these days."