It is a week since the commercial shops’ closing at 10:00 pm decision, issued by the Cabinet on last 25th June, aiming at rationalising electricity consumption, leading to “recession” as everyone agreed, and this didn’t affect shop owners only, but customers as well.
Last Tuesday, 25th June, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, announced that shops shall close at 10:00 p.m. all over the country, starting at the beginning of this month, with the exception of pharmacies, supermarkets, and restaurants, which will close at a maximum of 01:00 am.
Al-Juhainy Khalaf, perfume shop owner in Sohag, was upset with the decision, although he had to apply it, this has negatively affected his sales, “we used to close at 12:00 or 01:00 am, but after the decision we had to open at 09:00 am instead of 10:00 to compensate the two hours”.
Yet he failed to compensate for those hours, for employees are busy in the morning, confirming that customers in the morning are “nearly non-existent”.
Mohamed Hassan, men's wear shop owner, says the same, as he too failed to compensate those hours, confirming that his customers come from faraway towns and villages, “normally customers come at night not in the morning”, and usually the demand on the shop increases in the evening.
In case of these shops, maybe they can work for a limited house, yet things get worse for Sameh Nashaat, a hairdresser and tailor, for his work requires him to open in the evening, as with the increasing temperatures, customers start coming after 09:00 pm, “after the decision, I work only for one hour”.
The closing decision didn’t harm shop owners only, but customers as well; Naglaa Ali is a school director, in addition to being a caretaker of her family, and usually she goes out in the evening, especially during summer, “yet after the decision, I can hardly find time to go out and buy what I need”, the thing that greatly restricted her. Nadia Ahmed, a housewife, totally agreed with Naglaa, for she also goes out in the evening to shop, “we cannot leave our homes early as temperatures are very high in the morning, so what should we do?!”
