Westmoreland corner shops facilitate customers on no-movement days

AS EARLY as the time roosters crowed in one rural community in western Jamaica, shopkeepers were observed opening their shop windows to accommodate sales on Sunday, September 26, a no-movement day.

For hours, customers, who were mainly children, were observed going to make purchases of less than 10 items which they needed to either cook or to clean their houses that morning.

Traditionally, Sunday has been the day when they would run to corner shops to buy items they never got in the week to cook, clean their homes or otherwise use.

However, even with the Government implementing an order under the Disaster Risk Management Act for Sundays to be no-movement days, many corner shops in rural communities open their side windows to facilitate these customers seeking small items.

Adding to that is the fact that these very shops are oftentimes located at the front of the owners’ yards, and it is their neighbours who make purchases on the no-movement day, so they really are not moving metres from their houses and oftentimes still within their yard space.

According to The Jamaica Gazette Supplement Proclamations, Rules and Regulations published on Saturday, September 18, 2021, section 10 states, “E xcept as otherwise permitted under the Third Schedule, each person is directed to remain at an abode or place of residence (including the yard) during the period from September 18, 2021, to October 29, 2021, during the hours from 8:00 p.m. each day to 5:00 a.m. the following day, beginning at 6:00 p.m. on September 18, 2021, and ending at 5:00 a.m. on October 29, 2021, except that – (a) each person is directed to remain at an abode or place of residence (including the yard), during the hours from – (i) 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 18, 2021 to 5:00 a.m. on Monday, September 20, 2021; (ii) 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 25, 2021 to 5:00 a.m. on Monday, September 27, 2021; (iii) 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 2, 2021 to 5:00 a.m. on Monday, October 4, 2021; (iv) 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 9, 2021 to 5:00 a.m. on Monday, October 11, 2021; (v) 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 16, 2021 to 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 19, 2021; (vi) 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 23, 2021 to 5:00 a.m. on Monday, October 25, 2021.”

With some of them still being in their yard space, The Gleaner asked three of the shopkeepers observed if they believe they are breaking the law.

FOR THE ELDERLY

According to three shopkeepers with whom The Gleaner spoke, they do not want to break the law; however, they open on a Sunday when it is a no-movement day because many old people and shut-ins in the rural area live alone and come to make purchases “to cook a one pot”.

They say these elderly persons oftentimes cannot travel to supermarkets and shops in the nearest town during week. They depend on either their children or others to be paid up on Saturday evenings and give them donations, which they take to the shops on Sunday mornings to provide them with small items, such as “half pound of peas, one pound of rice, quarter pound of chicken, a pack of coconut milk powder, a little gill of cooking oil, a small pack of Maggi and a small pack of black pepper”.

“We open the shop on a Sunday because we live in the rural area. Some people live in poor communities. Not everybody has fridge [to store perishable items]. Not everybody have electricity, so therefore people have to go to the shop on Sunday morning to get their little stuff that they need,” a female shopkeeper told The Gleaner.

She added: “Not everybody have a pay! Sometimes on Sunday morning time, dem get one little money and can run to the shop and can get some something to eat! It’s not a lie!”

NO CHOICE FOR THE POOR

The female shopkeeper told The Gleaner that most of her customers on Sundays “are poor people” who live in the mountains and they do not have a fridge.

“Some people [who come on Sundays] don’t have any fridge. Some people poor, they don’t have anything. Some people, it’s only like some old lady who live a dem house, so therefore, when dem get one little money sometime, dem can run go a di shop and buy one little [sumn],” she said.

She then raised off her stool and loudly explained to The Gleaner to ensure her point is noted, “Sometime a one half pound a chicken dem affi buy fi go mek little soup [on Sundays]; half pound a meat. Dem have to wait until somebody offer dem [money on a Sunday morning] so dem can go a di shop and buy, so di corner shop dem have to open, so that poor people can get food fi eat.”

STILL HAS EXPENSES

A shopkeeper who was playing music inside with closed windows and doors said he was inside his shop on Sunday because he still has expenses and taxes to pay.

“When there was the three-day lockdown, mi fridge ina di shop still affi run fi keep di juice dem cool. That mean seh mi have JPS fi pay. Mi have taxes fi pay and other bills fi pay, so mi affi open di shop on Sundays fi mek back all a dem money de so that mi can pay di bills fi di same shop,” the male shopkeeper told The Gleaner.

“Mi can’t go tell JPS seh shop did lock pan no-movement days, so mi can’t pay fi di electricity weh di fridge run fi keep di juice dem cool and nuh spoil, so mi affi open on Sundays, di day when nuff people come buy one and two items, so mi can mek back di money fi pay JPS and di same Government dem taxes,” he added.

He is calling on the Government to amend the orders and allow them to serve persons who live metres from them in the mountains because their real intent is to help to feed their rural community.

“Di people dem need food ... . It nuh mek no sense locking down the shops on Sunday,” he said.

Before leaving his shop, The Gleaner witnessed persons who were on their way to church, stopping to buy items which would refresh them while they worshipped.

HIGH JPS BILLS

Another male shopkeeper metres away from this shop, also cried about the high expense in Jamaica Public Service expense per month, which has forced him to open his shop window on Sundays for sale.

“We don’t open the door on Sundays because dem seh close down, so we have to close down. We can get ticket for it if it [the door] open ... . We want the Government to allow us to open the shop because the people in the area want the goods to buy,” he told The Gleaner.

He said it could cost them up to $30,000 if they are caught selling on a no-movement day.

The shopkeeper further stated that he is losing with the curfew hours implemented, and to make up for this, he does side jobs during nights when they become available to him.

“If yaav pit fi dig, mi will dig it and charge yuh like $4,000 a foot ... It [curfew hours] don’t trouble me, because I don’t work on the street ... . Mi can go out de like 8:00 p.m. or so [and] come back 3:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m ... if mi get little work out deh, mi affi do it a night, fi come back here so 7:00 a.m., so all 3:00 o’clock a night, mi out deh a work,” he said.

All three shopkeepers are hoping the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will pass soon or the Government will soon allow them to open on Sundays, so that they can begin earning their maximum potential on weekends.

Around 3:00 p.m., the windows of the shops were observed being closed indicating an end of sales on that no-movement day.

Ainsworth Morris