Fifers urged to shop local as stores re-open

Shop owners were glad to be back, swinging open their doors and welcoming in new and familiar customers for the first time since lockdown began.

Alison Strachan, owner of Maisie and Mac gift shop in Cupar, and chair of business association ABCD, said it was “great” to have her shops open again, but also warned that there are still challenges.

“I feel for those businesses who are not yet allowed to open, albeit we need easing of restrictions to be gradual to keep the virus suppressed.

“I really feel too for those companies in the supply or service chains for retail and hospitality businesses in the town who will have really struggled too and are perhaps less visible. We all need each other for successful trading.

“Open coffee shops, bars and restaurants mean people spend more time in town on a visit and more money in other shops like my own. Similarly, we benefit from customers who have come to Cupar to see their dentist, hairdresser, accountant or mechanic, so given how interrelated it all is, we will not see customer numbers returning to pre-pandemic times for some time to come and time will tell if businesses and jobs have sadly been lost in the town as a result of Covid-19.

“Having said all that it was a really positive restart for us today and having spoken to staff in both other independent shops and bigger chains, everyone seemed glad to be back.”

While non-essential shops have been allowed to re-open, it will be a different type of shopping experience than customers have been used to.

New safety measures have been introduced to help keep customers as protected as possible.

Johnstons of Elgin, which has a store in St Andrews, is offering disposable masks, introduced a one-way system around the shop, has installed signage to help customers shop safely, and added hand-washing facilities.

With fitting rooms closed, the returns policy has been extended for 60 days. The number of customers allowed in the store at any one time has also been limited.

Charity shop Sense Scotland is re-opening its stores, including its St Andrews shop, on July 6.

It has introduced social-distancing markers, till shields, one-way systems and hand sanitiser to help keep customers safe.