Easter retailer warning

The Commerce Commission is warning businesses Saturday and Easter Sunday are not public holidays and businesses must not mislead customers when applying a surcharge.

Commission general manager Kate Morrison says it's easy to think the four days during the Easter period are all public holidays when they are not.


Most retailers are required to close on Good Friday.

'Easter Saturday and Sunday are not public holidays and traders should not apply a surcharge to compensate for higher wages on those days,” says Kate.

Almost all shops are required to be closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, or they face a $1000 fine if they don't.

Those exempt from closing on these days include:

• Dairies

• Service stations

• Takeaways, bars, restaurants and cafés

• Duty-free stores

• A shop providing services, rather than selling goods (such as a video rental store or hairdresser)

• Real Estate Agency

• Pharmacies

• Garden centres (only on Easter Sunday, not Good Friday)

• A shop at any public transport terminal or station

• A shop in a premises where an exhibition or show is taking place (includes markets, craft shows and stalls at these exhibitions and shows)

• A shop selling only souvenirs

• The goods you sell are items people can't put off buying until the next day, such as baby formula or pet food, and the quantity of goods for sale is no more than needed to meet the needs of people in the area.

• Shops that don't fit into one of the exemption categories commit an offence if they open and trade on restricted shop trading days. The "occupier" of the shop may be liable for a fine of up to $1000.

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4 comments

come on

Posted on 03-04-2015 14:33 | By Tyraone

do away with these old outdated laws on trading. Businesses should be allowed to trade over Easter if they wish. Think about our tourists and visitors to the region. I am referring to Good Friday and Easter Sunday.


same old same old

Posted on 03-04-2015 15:43 | By Ross01

there are exempt places ( Rotorua Taupo ) for example. Do we have an MP or Councilor with the guts to stand up and tell us why Tauranga with an annual easter national festival should not be exempt also; or at least try and convince me and the rest of the residents and disappointed visitors why the status quo should remain?


We are

Posted on 03-04-2015 22:21 | By joe p

living in a modern world, lets drop all these out-dated stupid laws & let retailers open if they want to. I thought we were living in a democratic country ???, get off the grass P C brigade, go mind your own business.


...

Posted on 04-04-2015 08:40 | By newton_123

Hey looks it's Ricky!


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