Next week Austria will take the first steps to open it after the lockdown. What to expect when shopping.
The trade will open again from Monday – and that will be accompanied by fat price cuts. “We all have respect for the measures,” emphasizes Rainer Trefelik, chairman of the federal trade division in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ), in an interview with “Heute” , but adds: “We have to open the shops.” Above all, Trefelik predicts discounts in fashion and electronics stores: “The warehouses are overflowing, the season is almost over – these areas will not work without discounts.”
As the WKÖ calculates, the loss of revenue from the three lockdowns totaled 9.7 billion euros. Now it is important to save what can be saved, said the trade chairman. If this opening step had not been taken now, it would have led to a high number of bankruptcies and more unemployed. Trefelik appeals to all customers: “I ask everyone to support responsible retailers in complying with the measures.” There are distance rules and an FFP2 mask requirement. Also new: one customer can enter the store for every 20 square meters of sales area. “Once it's full, please don't get into groups in front of the shops,” said Trefelik.
An example? From now until February 13th, MediaMarkt sells everything that is not nailed down. Tens of thousands of products are discounted at the “biggest sale of all time” and are available at “bargain prices” – “Today” reported. The reason: “We are facing the current challenge that the products in our warehouses are piling up to the ceiling,” says Richard Zweimüller, Sales Manager at MediaMarkt Austria.
” Today ” has already checked and has come across really great prices. The JBL True Wireless Headphones Free x are available in black for 72 euros, but they are nowhere to be found cheaper. The 75-inch Hisense 4K UHD Smart TV H75B7510 even fell from 2,000 to 900 euros, making it around 500 euros cheaper than the cheapest competitor. There are also real game bargains, such as “Borderlands 3” for the PS4 for seven euros. You can read more about this here >>
But be careful when shopping next week: As “Today” found out, the new regulation will also have special regulations for shops and shopping centers. Although all shops are allowed to reopen their doors after lockdown number three, this is, however, at maximum opening times from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. From 8 p.m., an exit restriction should apply again.
The following applies to shopping centers: an FFP2 mask is compulsory in the entire area, a violation of this can be expensive. Do not linger in general areas. Food and drinks are also not allowed to be consumed within the centers. The customer restriction only affects the individual business branches.
