Social-distancing shoppers rush to reopened city primark
LONG queues formed yesterday as retailer Primark opened its doors in Wales for the first time since lockdown.
In Cardiff, shoppers waited to enter its flagship store in Queen Street.
The clothing giant was one of the most notable stores not to open when non-essential shops were given the green light to reopen in Wales on Monday.
But bargain-lovers were over the moon as the high-street chain announced it would be reopening just days later.
Primark’s chief executive Paul Marchant said: “We have really missed our customers in Wales, and we are delighted to be back open, providing customers with the quality, affordable products they love from Primark.”
The queue built steadily from early yesterday, with a system in place to ensure social distancing.
Shoppers entered via the Queen Street entrance and, once they bought their purchases, they were directed out the back of the store, with arrows on the floor, via St David’s shopping centre and the exit next to the Marks & Spencer food hall.
Sarah Morris, 26, from Ely, arrived early with her daughter at around 8.15am.
She said: “The queue wasn’t crazy when we started. It’s my little sister’s birthday so I’ve treated her. I wouldn’t really want to queue right now, though.”
Shopper Kelly Barlow, 40, from Barry, said: “I got into town at 9am and there was only one row of queuing and I’m already at the front. Now [shortly before 10am] the queue is massive and I don’t know how long people are going to be waiting.
“I’m going to buy pyjamas for me and my son and I don’t know how much I’ll spend.
“I don’t really care because I’ve been in lockdown for 12 weeks.”
Cheryl Lewis, 29, from Cardiff, queued for an hour, but said it was worth it.
“People are going to be put off by queues outside, but inside the shop it’s very calm.
“I spent around 40 minutes finding stuff for my nieces and nephews. You can’t get this stuff cheaper elsewhere, so it was worth queuing for an hour.”
Steve Harris, 34, and his wife Cheryl, were also among those who turned up for yesterday’s opening.
Steve said: “We’ve just joined the queue because we saw it at nine-ish and it was crazy.
“We went around instead and bought some goods from Matalan and River Island.
“The queue has gone down a little since then, so we’ve probably saved ourselves at least 10 minutes of queuing. I don’t think I’ll have any money left by the end of the day.”
And Jake Lewis, 21, from Cardiff, turned up in his shorts and T-shirt after the initial rush.
He said: “I thought the queue would have died down so I literally woke up and came straight here.
“There’s so many people here still, I don’t know how long I’ll be queuing. I’m looking to buy a few pairs of T-shirts and shorts for the heatwave.”