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Will queuing three hours to get into Zara be the new normal when shops reopen?

Shoppers form a not-so-orderly queue outside a Zara store reopening in Paris on 11th May 2020
Shoppers form a not-so-orderly queue outside a Zara store reopening in Paris on 11th May 2020

The scenes in Warrington in early June were akin to those you might usually see in Wimbledon during the summer months, when people queue patiently with the hope of bagging an on-the-day ticket for a Centre Court tennis match.

This time, though, the crowds which had arrived from 5:40am were waiting to enter Ikea, which was due to reopen at nine after being closed since 23rd March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

At its peak, more than a thousand Brits snaked around the car park, suitably standing two metres apart, which prompted Twitter commentators to complain of ‘five mile’ waits.

Five miles? To buy a ‘Billy’ bookcase? The British are unrivalled, we have always been the best in the world at forming an orderly queue. But it’s difficult to see what the prize would be for sticking it out to the front of this particular line - especially when Ikea’s website has been open for orders throughout lockdown, so they could have just ordered online.

As more ‘non-essential’ retailers, including clothing stores, reopen from June 15, are these ginormous queues set to become the new normal? It's been bearable during the summer months, but will we still be so patient when the weather turns? For a society used to getting what we want, instantly, it will certainly be a test.

An overhead shot of the queue to get into Ikea in Warrington
An overhead shot of the queue to get into Ikea in Warrington

When Zara stores reopened in France on 11th May, most branches found that shoppers were absolutely willing to join lines around the block. The queues to get into luxury stores were shorter, but no less significant - Louis Vuitton’s Paris clients lined up against velvet ropes, rather than the sand-filled buckets and upturned trolleys which mark the new route into my local Tesco, but still, is it reassuring to know that wherever you shop you will now have to queue? In shopping centre settings, queues will need to be even more carefully managed - potentially you will need to queue twice, once to get into the mall, then again for each individual store you want to visit once inside.

Louis Vuitton's boutique in Paris
Louis Vuitton's boutique in Paris

Social distancing measures mean that queues, for the safety of both customers and staff, are indeed inevitable and necessary. But any pictures of hysteria and mass queuing are also likely to prove not good for business - brands are doing their utmost to reassure customers that their environments are safe to shop in again, so they don’t want to put people off. It’s a tricky balance, which retailers will need to strike, between encouraging people back into stores, yet not in a rush all at once. “We want to be safe, not fast,” John Lewis & Partners’ operations chief Andrew Murphy told the Telegraph. “We have no interest in being at the forefront of how people are reopening.”

Eventually, the savvier retailers that want to make shopping personal and fun again might see fit to provide entertainment, or refreshments (if safe) to those queuing. Enhancing the waiting-time experience could become the latest sales art to master after lockdown.

Selfridges, for example, has already been giving those who make it to the front a posy of yellow flowers as they enter its freshly reopened food hall - it’s a small touch, but it might just take the sting out of a boring wait to be served. A great experience once inside, naturally, will also make the wait worth it and ensure that customers might bother to do it all again in a few weeks.

Queues at Ikea, London
Queues at Ikea, London

In an attempt to speed up the shopping process a little, a spokesperson for Ikea gave advice to shoppers; “come prepared with ready-made lists and [your] own bags to help ease waiting times. To avoid queues, we'd ask those purely wishing to browse, to visit us in the coming weeks."

I’d offer something more realistic - having your bag-for-life to hand won’t help here. If you want to be the first back through the doors of your favourite high street shop when it reopens on 15th June, go for it. But don’t be under any illusions; you’ll need to allow half a day for your visit, and be prepared to get in line.

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