Restrictions welcomed by merchants, shoppers
`It's the right decision ... people understand it's for everyone's safety,' says store manager
It was around Black Friday that Devon Arcouette started noticing there were probably too many people in the mall.
Arcouette, the manager at Sunrise Records at Fairview Mall, could sense the number of shoppers ramping up as the holidays approached, making it hard for people to keep two metres apart in certain stores.
Although he hopes the stricter restrictions Quebec implemented for malls Friday won't hurt his business at the most important time of the year, he agrees they're necessary. “I do think it's the right decision,” Arcouette said Saturday between helping customers. “And I think people understand it's for everyone's safety.”
Announced last week as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the province, the new measures require enclosed shopping malls and stores to enforce strict capacity limits based on their total square footage.
Visible signage must be posted outside a store or mall to indicate the number of people allowed in and strict physical distancing measures must be applied.
Inspectors will also increase their patrols, with businesses that don't comply facing fines of $1,000 to $6,000.
At the Fairview Mall on Saturday morning, every storefront was equipped with the required signage. Mall security and police officers could be seen walking about, talking to customers. Most appeared to be respecting the measures.
Longer lineups were created outside some shops — most noticeably Bath & Body Works and Nespresso — but shoppers who spoke to the Montreal Gazette said they didn't feel the measures spoiled their shopping experience.
Stephen Mensah and his girlfriend, Noémie Caron, arrived early and left just before lunchtime.
There were a few stores they chose to skip because of long lineups, but they mainly found what they were looking for.
“I think it's a good idea,” Mensah, 20, said of the new restrictions. “Even with masks and disinfecting our hands, I don't think it would have changed much had we kept the same amount of people (as before) in malls.”
Philippe Bechalani, at the mall for some early Christmas shopping, said he felt the same.
“It's just a question of adapting, really,” said Bechalani, 43. “You need to be sure what you want to buy before coming to the mall now instead of just lounging around.”
What Bechalani was most struck by was how few people were present: Notoriously busy during the holiday season, the Pointe-claire mall was much quieter Saturday than it would be during a normal weekend in December.
“We got here at 9:30 this morning,” he said, “and the parking lot was empty.”
In announcing the stricter measures last week, the government said it didn't want to further hurt businesses, but felt it was a necessary step to limit the risk of outbreaks. What effect it will have in coming weeks remains to be seen. On Saturday, Arcouette said there was already noticeably fewer people at the mall than there had been during recent weekends.
At Sunrise Records, he has had to limit the number of customers to 12 at a time, creating occasional lineups outside the store. He has yet to hear any complaints, he said.
Despite having fewer customers, he feels those making the effort to venture out to the mall are doing so with a purpose. He hopes that trend will continue.
“December is where we make our year, basically,” he said. “So I just hope people won't be too scared to come to the mall, thinking they're going to get sick just because there are stricter restrictions.”