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Penneys shoppers queued for more than three hours to grab clothes, shoes and bottles of fake tan as 16 of its stores reopened.<\/p>\nPenneys shoppers queued for more than three hours to grab clothes, shoes and bottles of fake tan as 16 of its stores reopened.<\/p>\n
Eager shoppers arrived in their droves to stock up on items some 12 weeks after the store closed its doors to the public.<\/p>\n
Some shops were due to open at 10.30am, however as the queues continued to build, gardai advised managers to open earlier at 8.45am.<\/p>\n
Some 150 people were in the queue at Dublin\u2019s Henry Street store when the doors were flung open.<\/p>\n
Chloe Nolan left her home in Co Carlow at 5.15am and arrived in Dublin at 6.30am.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was queuing from around 7am for over an hour before it started moving and everyone was delighted,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe queue was OK, I was expecting it to be a lot bigger, it was very well controlled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have picked up the most unnecessary things that I don\u2019t even need, PJs, summer stuff \u2013 absolutely loads.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I got inside, I was shocked at how everything was so well organised. I felt so safe and it was fine. It felt like things were back to normal.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy favourite thing I bought today was definitely my PJs. I can\u2019t wait to go home and get into them tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dublin shopper and Penneys fan Chantelle Wooperton went to the store with her nieces Ella, 11, and eight-year-old Brooke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got at the shop at 7.30am and wasn\u2019t in the queue that long \u2013 for about two hours,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent 148 euro and I bought stuff for me, my mother, my sisters and my baby, who is eight months.<\/p>\n
“I was looking for pyjamas and underwear and all that. Lockdown has been hard because the baby is growing so fast and it\u2019s been hard to get things for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe shopping experience was great \u2013 I had good fun and the people were very helpful. I wasn\u2019t worried coming in and it was all grand.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo-one was walking on top of me so I was delighted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frontline workers Theresa O\u2019Reilly and Nadjet O\u2019Reilly queued for around 15 minutes.<\/p>\n
The mother and daughter, who are cleaners at the Department of Justice, said they were excited to see what they can buy.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy other daughter has been here since 8am this morning and she\u2019s in there now,\u201d Theresa said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to see what is going on as we have been working through the whole crisis and haven\u2019t had any time off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nadjet added: \u201cWe are getting back to reality \u2013 we haven\u2019t had a chance to spend any money because we have been working all this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Theresa added: \u201cWe are just going to mosey around and see what we can spend. I might pick up some shirts and jeans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sixteen Penneys stores with street access are reopening on Friday with the remaining 20 stores located in shopping centers opening on Monday.<\/p>\n
Primark chief executive Paul Marchant said: \u201cWhile it might take a little longer to get into store, once inside, customers will find all their favorite Penneys products and plenty of choice as usual.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have worked hard to make sure that clear signage and extra help will be there to guide them through the changes we have made to allow for social distancing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also asking customers to respect the measures we have put in place to help ensure shopping at Penneys is an enjoyable, safe experience for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Management have hired additional security staff to help customers follow social distancing measures while store layouts have been redesigned to allow for more space between people.<\/p>\n
Fitting rooms, customer toilets and beauty concessions have been temporarily closed.<\/p>\n
Hand sanitizer stations are at the entrance and on the shop floor, while every second till is closed and Perspex screens have been installed on open tills to protect customers and employees.<\/p>\n