I have just moved to the Mount area from the west coast. What a beautiful place this is! No wonder it is so popular with tourists.

But one thing puzzles me... why do so many shops in the main street of the Mount open so late in the morning? Today I went to the Mount main street at 9am.

There was a cruise ship in and people were everywhere, the cafes were doing a roaring trade but something was wrong – people were lingering around on the pavement. Many peering through the glass of shopfront windows, unable to enter because the shop didn't open until 10am.

What is the matter with some of the retailers here? They hold prime position in one of NZ's premier tourist streets, but in the height of the season, can't be bothered to open their shops for business at the usual retailing time of 9am!

It's so frustrating for both tourists and locals that there is different opening times within one street.

To make it worse, I decided to sit and wait for one particular shop to open at its stated time of 10am. Well at 10.15am it still had not opened its doors.

Come on, at least in the summer months provide a unified service with everyone opening at 9am, and if that does not appeal to you maybe consider vacating your prime position so someone who wants a full-time retail opportunity can come in.

A Agez, Mount Maunganui