First sales on corona: “Calmer than expected” (Antwerp)
July 1st equals (normally) good weather, holidays and last but not least, the sales. Yesterday the tying sale came to an end and from today the grabbing can start. These are the first free sales without any corona restrictions. We put on our best outfit and went to the Meir richly filled with pockets.
“It’s good that we came early at 10 o’clock, Zara was already packed,” says Sabrina Zine (23). Especially for the first day of sales, various businesses on the Meir opened their doors a little earlier. Although Zara turned out to be well-filled, we don’t find an overwhelming crowd. It’s a Friday that feels like a Wednesday. Yet we meet some enthusiasts.
“We are preparing for the holidays and therefore we are waiting for the sales to make our move,” said Jihad Ajjaji (27). “It is a relief that we no longer have to take the various measures into account. There are also no long queues at the pass rooms, for example. It’s great to pass the shops with your friends. We’ve already done a few shops, as you can see from our bags, and now we’re going to stop by Footlocker,” says Jihad.
We don’t get many overloaded shoppers, yet we bump into a few partygoers. “We will soon be going to the Foute Party, which is why we are combining it with a visit to the Meir,” says Céline Hemerijck (23). “We’re from Torhout, so normally we don’t come all the way to Antwerp to shop, but it’s something different. We don’t think it’s strange to see mouth masks anywhere, on the contrary. We are going to party later, so we don’t expect mouth masks there either,” says Céline.
“Corona has been behind me for a long time. It is not the first time that I go back shopping because during the pandemic I went to neighboring countries such as Belgium where the measures were relaxed more quickly,” says Dutchman Martin Bosveld (23).
Every now and then we see a passer-by with a mouth mask, but we can count them on one hand. The first day of sales went smoothly than expected. “I think it’s pretty reasonable that it’s so quiet. I put it on the weather”, laughs Alae Freyhat (20), waitress at Bistro René. We return home with half full bags and probably tomorrow the real bustle will break loose. (vip)