No doubt another area of life that needs seriously rigorous monitoring as we continue to battle the Coronavirus threat, stores have implemented several major changes in order to get people spending and kickstart our economy again whilst ensuring public health remains the number one priority.
While each shop has slightly different rules to fit their different locations, store layouts and expected footfall, in general you can expect to queue outside in order to limit the number of people in store, lots of hand sanitiser stations, several toilets having been closed, increased contactless payment limits of £45 and perspex screens at till points.
One of the biggest changes is the closure of almost all changing rooms.
Refund deadlines have generally been extended to 90 days in order to allow you to try on safely at home and return to the store (when the items will then be quarantined until safe to reintroduce to the shop floor), but it’s a good idea to stick to shapes, styles and sizes that you’re relatively familiar with in order to save yourself bother.
As good old fashion bricks ‘n’ mortar stores re-opened their doors today, staff were no doubt anxious about what what to expect.
Having been closed for almost three months as the UK battled to contain and control the rapid spread of Coronavirus, it’s been a hugely worrying time for the industry. But with the pandemic by no means over and with millions of people still self-isolating as stringently as they were in March – not to mention the financial implication of endless furloughs and redundancies all over the country – there was no way of knowing how the relaunch of the British high street would go. Would anyone turn up? Would everyone show up?
And while you may presume the former, it seems that we have, in fact, missed shopping, as today saw queues lasting hours snaking down high streets up and down the country.
Check out our extensive guide on how to shop successfully when you can’t try anything on for a full breakdown of tips and tricks to make the most of your trip.
One of the best tips we can give you is to have an idea what you’re looking for. Don’t wander round idly, but have specific targets.
Need a hand with that prep? Here are the 23 pieces our Fashion Editor recommends you head straight for…
