JEDDAH — Traders and citizens are divided over the impact of the proposal for closing shops across the Kingdom by 9 p.m., according to a newspaper survey. The traders had voiced concerns that if the proposal was implemented it would have serious consequences because it would negatively affect their sales with a drastic reduction in shopping hours. They also said the decision would add to the already stifling traffic congestion in Saudi cities and trucks would find it hard to deliver merchandise to sales outlets. However, a survey conducted by Al-Madina Arabic daily showed that 53 percent of respondents supported the proposal to close the shops at 9 p.m. while 45 percent rejected the move. The remaining 2 percent said they were not bothered. Ali Bin Zoumah, general manager of Makkah Water Company, said the move would reduce sales in shops for at least initially and reduce the volume of imports, while shipping and transport companies would find it hard to deliver goods ordered by businesses. Omar Baqaresh, a citizen, said the early closure of shops would change the shopping habit of Saudi families. "It would definitely reduce the volume of sales," he added. Most private sector employees return from work after 6 p.m. and would not get enough time to make necessary purchases, he said. Mohammed Al-Ahdal drew the authorities' attention to another potential problem if shops are closed at 9 p.m. "You will see heavy traffic on roads especially between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. as people will be rushing to make their purchases before the shops close," he told Al-Madina. He said some private sector employees returned from work late at night and they would not get any time for shopping. "The Kingdom's hot climate, the presence of the two holy mosques, and Haj and Umrah seasons would obstruct the enforcement of the 9 p.m. closure," said Al-Ahdal. In a related development, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it would be difficult for the government to implement the 9 p.m. shop closure proposed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development as part of its efforts to encourage Saudis to work in the retail sector. "It would be extremely difficult to implement the measure especially in cities of the western region including Makkah and Madinah," the chamber said, citing a study. The JCCI study showed that 72 percent of customers visit shops later than 9 p.m. The move to close shops at 9 p.m. would cause heavy losses to businesses. About 90 percent of pilgrims pass by Jeddah and do shopping in the city's malls day or night, the study said. Mohammed Saeed Dardir, chairman of the advisory committee at JCCI, refuted claims by some that reduced consumption of electricity would be a positive result of the early shop closure. He pointed out that there would not be any difference in power consumption because even though the shops close at an early hour resulting in a lower consumption rate, the use of electricity at homes would increase instead. "It will not reduce traffic on the roads as people will be rushing to markets to make last-minute shopping before the shop closure," Dardir told Al-Madina. And people will tend to spend more time at Corniche, coffee houses and restaurants," he added.
