Each of our newsagencies and two of our gift shops suffered multiple blackouts today as Melbourne was buffeted by extraordinary winds. We stopped counting blackouts after seven in a few hours.
At Frankston they shut the newsagency and started playing the Carry-On partwork DVD on a laptop using battery power.
The major retailers have a straightforward approach to blackouts, they close. It makes sense given the size of their floorspace. There are OH&S implications as well as the heightened risk of theft.
We left it up to the managers to make a local call as to whether to stay open. At Forest Hill we are at an entrance to the centre and have good natural light so it was easier. Elsewhere it was a wait and see game. Frustrating not only for us but other retailers and customers trying to shop.
With the predicted hot weather over the next few months.
And disruptions to power supplies though different factors. How do you plan to cope? when/if the lights go out.
that is why the good Lord invented alcohol
we have blackouts im my area frequently, some for minutes, hours and even over 24 hour periods (in the past)
i close the store entrance and serve customers from a trolley table across the doorway. without adequate/usual lighting it is unsafe for customers and a little for staff. i send staff home, but still operate myself. insurance may not cover you if someone else falls, im not taking the risk.
there is a switch that can be installed at the switch board that will allow you to hook a lead in to supply the shop from a generator which is something i am looking into.
welcome to experience the third world country:)