Sale shoppers restrained by more snow

Dec 28 2010 by Greg Christison, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

PERTHSHIRE shoppers hoping to take advantage of post-Christmas sales were yesterday hindered by the return of snow.

In a bid to capitalise on severe delays to online deliveries, many Fair City stores have slashed prices in an attempt to persuade customers to spend their Christmas cash on the high street.

However, after Perthshire yesterday waked up to several inches of snow – the latest fall in a five week-long severe weather spell – potential trade was lost as many opted to enjoy the comfort of their own homes rather than braving the elements to spend.

Although the region’s major road and rail networks remained open despite yesterday’s icy blast, driving conditions proved problematic.

Public transport was badly affected with one company, Crieff Travel, forced to ground its fleet of buses due to road safety issues.

One Perth-bound commuter from Braco told the PA he was forced to turn-back on his way to the Fair City after failing to make it to the nearby A9.

The man said: “I got out of Braco alright, but I got stuck at Greenloaning. I was able to go south, but I couldn’t go north because it hadn’t been gritted.

“I could see the traffic was crawling up the A9, it was moving very slow and there were definitely no buses going through the village after 9am.”

Tayside Police’s critical incident manager Lorna Robbie confirmed that there had been a number of “bumps” throughout the area yesterday morning including incidents on the A9 and M90.

However, she pointed out that there had been no concerns over the treating of the major roads or the amount of traffic on the network.

McEwans of Perth’s managing director Georgina Bullough said the retail sector had experienced major problems as a result of recent travel chaos, with shop owners struggling to shift stock.

“I think that it has been a very difficult trading period in the run-up to Christmas for all businesses,” she said.

“We have got to a stage where clearly the weather is bad for businesses nationwide. I think everyone is fed up to the back teeth because of this weather.

“However, we certainly have more items in the sale than we have ever had before, so the customers that are managing to get here are absolutely delighted.”

St John’s Shopping Centre manager Siobhan McConnell described the post-Christmas situation as “nail-biting”.

She said yesterday: “It has been very quiet this morning, I think people have woken up and looked their windows and that has put them off going out.

“We are, however, this year seeing increases of up to 25 per cent in custom when there has been a break in the weather, as we have noticed a big resurgence in shoppers shopping locally.

“The stores are offering exceptional discounts and savings, so there is good news for the consumer when they are able to get in.”