Hardware stores in Bavaria have been closed since March 21. Today, according to the government’s decision, they opened their doors again and customers were not long in coming.
Photo: Thomas Obermeier
6.45 a.m. in front of the Hornbach am Handelshof in Lengfeld – it is still early in the morning and the market does not open until 7 a.m., but the first customers have already lined up at the doors of the hardware store and form a long line to the customer loading area, of course the prescribed safety distance and many faces are also covered with a face mask. Employees with security vests monitor the regulated process and ensure that the prescribed minimum distance is observed.
Shortly after 7 a.m. a line of cars even formed in front of the parking lot and the drivers were allocated parking spaces. The police were also on site to ensure security. A similar picture appeared on Friday before the closing on March 21 – Why did customers get up so early today? Which works in the house and garden have been left behind and how do people deal with the new easing in the Corona measures?
Photo: Thomas Obermeier
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Get up early
Feriz Mehmeti is the manager of a horticultural company in Wrzburg. Mainly, he gets his material delivered directly, which worked well during the period of closure. Nevertheless, he is often dependent on the hardware store. “We often need little things from the hardware store so that we can continue to work, but also in larger quantities. That’s why I’m at the market so early today to get everything.” But not only construction and gardening companies are happy that the DIY stores have started selling again. Many other residents of Wrzburg also drove out of the house early to get material for the abandoned work in the house and garden.
“The time is really unchristian, but you accept that.”
Couple from Wrzburg in front of the Hornbach in Lengfeld–
A young couple was renovating the apartment when the markets closed. For this they had taken extra time off and are now trying to finish the work as quickly as possible. “Especially in the time you are in the hardware stores, you first notice what you need.” They had previously checked online whether the required products are available. Because of the small number of pieces, they decided to get up early. “The time is really unchristian, but you accept that.” The stricter safety precautions can be relaxed if they are gradually loosened.
Photo: Thomas Obermeier
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In the morning there was an admission stop at Dehner
Shortly before 11 a.m. the parking lot of the Dehner Garden Center on Frankfurter Strae is almost completely occupied. Only a few parking spaces remain. Inside, branch manager Cornelia Pabst is satisfied. “We were very well prepared,” she says. All employees wear masks, the handles of the shopping trolleys are disinfected in the entrance area and if you like, you can buy a disposable mask for one euro.
“We normally open at 9:00 am,” says Pabst. “But when we saw that almost 20 people were standing in line at the door shortly after half past eight, we were more likely to open,” she continues. The police were also there, she reports. “It’s very comforting.” But she praises her customers: “People are very reasonable”.
“People are very reasonable”
Cornelia Pabst, Branch Manager Dehner Garden Center–
Shortly after 11 a.m., when the reporter leaves the market, there is an admission freeze. “Too many are stowed at the cash register,” explains an employee. “It takes ten minutes now.” Outside there are already ten customers with their shopping carts waiting patiently, at a reasonable distance. And in the parking lot, others make their rounds and look for a gap.
Obi and BayWa in the East industrial area had also been prepared for a large number of visitors with security and police. In the early hours of the morning, however, this did not happen. The parking spaces were still fairly empty at the opening of the shop and there had not been a long line of customers. Even at lunchtime there was normal operation without long lines and crowded parking lots. In the course of the day, however, this condition may also have changed.
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Wrzburg
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Ernst Lauterbach
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Maria Fai
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construction
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Hardware stores
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Baywa AG
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Garden specialist markets
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Greenhouses
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Customers
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Runners
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Employees and staff
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police
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Governments and government agencies
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Safety precautions
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reason
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