A BUSINESS owner has expressed his disappointment at changes to retail trading laws that will allow Orange stores to open on Boxing Day.
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Village Coffee Shop owner Peter Ryan said he and his staff always welcomed the few days off at Christmas.
“We are in the type of business where the staff are on their feet all day going absolutely flat out in the weeks leading up to Christmas,” he said.
“So when Christmas Day and Boxing Day come around, myself and the staff really look forward to that break.”
Mr Ryan said the decision by the NSW government to allow Boxing Day trade, bringing Orange in line with metropolitan areas, had not come as a surprise.
“But overheads for a place like mine are huge,” he said.
“With the penalties I will be looking at between $1500 and $2000 if I have to open.”
Mr Ryan said employing other staff for the extra opening hours was not an option for him.
“In my type of business you need experienced staff who know the customers have to be served quickly and they know the ropes,” he said.
“In opposing this I am not scared of work.
“I just feel for the staff who have such an intense time those days before Christmas,” he said.
A spokesperson for Orange City Centre management said Mirvac, which owns the centre, will announce its Christmas and New Year trading arrangements in November.
janice.harris@ruralpress.com
