Down here in Victoria I suspect that we have little idea of what life if like for newsagents in the flood affected areas of the country. I certainly feel ignorant. I mean, I have seen the TV footage and have spoken with newsagents with businesses under water.
What I have been ignorant about is the impact in areas not under water there are significant challenges. I have heard of plenty of newsagents who are able to open their businesses but who have no current stock. Transport routes have been cut – no magazines, no papers. There are other stories where shoppers cannot get into town so there is no trade, not even for lottery tickets and the like.
I heard of one newsagent who slept on the shop floor last night so he could open today. Extraordinary.
So, beyond the major stories on the TV news, there are plenty of other stories of these floods impacting businesses … and the situation looks set to continue for some time yet.
The magazines were a day late last week in Far NTH QLD as the roads are cut in numerous places nth of Brisbane . Most customers are okay but there are that minority that expect everything should be available. Just had a phone call from Gotch today asking whether we were effected by the floods, after advising him we were not he asked if we were receiving magazine deliveries and if they could be of help in any way. He mentioned he will be ringing around the area to see if anyone was in need of assistance. So at least we now know they are thinking of us!!!!
Talking to a friend in Cairns in the transport industry and he tells me that they are now trucking goods south towards Sydney from Brisbane then West then North via an inland route. There has been no rail for a month. They are also using Container ships to supplement the 200 plus containers that are usually railed into far north qld each week. The really upsetting part is that produce growers in FNQ who have not been affected by rain are having trouble getting there goods south to market.Bananas are being chopped down to rot as are water melons.