SCARY, BUT WE ALL HAVE OUR PART TO PLAY
AT moments like this, everything can feel overwhelming. The fast-moving news of coronavirus induces anxiety, and even a little fear, in all of us. That nervousness has clearly been felt by our customers: the last ten days have seen grocery-buying on a scale we would never experience outside Christmas.
This surge of shopping has inevitably led to temporary gaps on shelves. Yet this is a problem caused by people being worried. The words of Franklin D. Roosevelt remain relevant: fear itself is the greatest issue.
Grocery supply chains remain strong. We are getting products from suppliers and depots through into our stores.
That’s been helped by the Scottish Government listening to our representations and issuing guidance to allow shops to take deliveries at all times – but it’s a monumental challenge. One that can only be alleviated with a little consideration from customers choosing to buy only what they need rather than everything they could possibly imagine.
It is time for people to be calm, considerate, and think of the community; because it’s apparent we are at the start of an unprecedented public health crisis. Further steps to contain this disease feel inevitable.
Spanish and French high street retailers have been forced to shutter shop doors and send staff home. It seems plausible we will see similar scenes here as well.
That could be an existential threat for those businesses. High street stores have been under pressure for years. Many will not have the resources to survive an extended shut-down.
But it’s not just those businesses. It’s the nearby restaurants which will have no customers visiting the town centre. It’s the fashion and footwear suppliers whose main markets will have disappeared.
There are businesses across the country who will feel the immense consequences of the incredibly difficult decisions the Government is having to make. They will all need help. Despite the economic costs, we support the Government’s decisions. The health of the nation is the ultimate priority.
To their credit, the UK and Scottish Governments have taken enormous steps in the last week to help business. Now Chancellor Rishi Sunak has rightly announced further support. A huge package of loans, grants, and business rates relief from the UK Government will hopefully provide liquidity to stretched businesses. We hope the Scottish Government will take the very significant Barnett consequential revenues and commit swiftly to pass them on to Scottish firms.
But the solutions to this are not just about Government. We are all scared by coronavirus.
RIGHT now, people are responding rationally, but individually. If one person is stockpiling toilet roll then the next person does the same. They are making things harder for everyone.
Each of us has a role to play, whether picking up groceries for a neighbour, calling in on isolated family members, or just leaving the last few tins on the shelf for someone who needs them more.
That is the decision we face. Not to act as individuals, but to help each other, trusting in our best nature.