Newshound, January 2022
A year to remember
Well, 2021 was a year to remember and I’m sure everyone will have their own memories of coping with Covid on top of everything else it takes to run an independent pet shop!
For us, it’s dancing around customers still trying to give that high level of personal service while at the same time not getting too close to them.
It’s great fun trying on dog harnesses with the customer helping rather than standing back and letting me get on with it. It’s still alien for me to point customers in the general direction of collars and leads and leave them to it when what I want to do is show them the full range and try to fit the perfect collar on the dog and find a matching lead.
Also, my recoil in horror as a customer licks their fingers to separate out a £10 note from a wad of notes and their complete surprise when I ask them, very politely, to pay by another method.
The customer who, when told there are a few stock shortages due to the pandemic and Brexit, look at you as if you’re bonkers and expect you to produce what they want immediately out of thin air.
I shall never forget the lady who, when I asked to enter her PIN number in the card reader, had no idea what I was talking about and looked on her card to find this mythical number. Apparently four of the sixteen numbers on her card are the PIN number!
Then, in all fairness, there was this other lady who always told me her PIN number in a loud voice, usually in front of a shop full of customers, as she thought it was easier for me to put it in the reader than her.
And, for the first time in thirty years of trading, our favourite wholesaler could not deliver one week due to a combination of lack of driver and lack of lorry.
So, as we move into 2022 what could we expect? Covid will rumble on, face masks and social distancing will surely be in place for the foreseeable future, and we will continue to avoid unnecessary human contact. Brexit troubles will hopefully settle down as we all get used to the new normal. Oh wishful thinking…
Carrier bags
When the 5p charge for carrier bags came in, our use of single use plastic carrier bags almost disappeared. But just recently it’s started to rise again. While the odd person asks for a bag, quite a few just stand and look at their purchases as if a carrier bag will magically appear. Of course if you say ‘do you need a bag?’ the answer is always yes, quite often in the manner of well it’s obvious I need a bag. The other little trick is they ask for a bag after they’ve paid, knowing full well you don’t want to put a card sale through for 10p, and of course they don’t carry cash. And they know full well the shopkeeper isn’t going to alienate a customer over the cost of a plastic bag.
Goldfish
A customer asked about goldfish, and was most put out when we told her it’s well over a year since we stopped selling fish. Apparently she buys all her fish from us – except for when she goes to the aquatic centre in the nearby town.
Pet breeding
The laws on breeding of pets and licensing of pet shops is different in Scotland than it is in England. It would be far easier if animal welfare legislation was harmonised across the UK, but it’s not. For breeders of cats and dogs, anyone who breeds more than three litters a year will have to be licensed, while for rabbits it’s more than six litters a year. This new legislation also covers animal rehoming centres, so for the first time in the UK, rabbit breeders and rescue centres will need to be licensed and inspected to the same standard as pet shops. Well, best of luck to local councils not only having to identify these breeders and rescue centres but also finding the time to inspect them, alongside a Vet or SSPCA, and issue a license. As for costs, each council charges differently but the Scottish Borders Council states a fee of £360 on their website.
