Khalaf Al-Harbi Okaz Most of us are night owls who do not like to go to bed early. I believe we were born without biological clocks. We sleep whenever we want and get up only when we are exhausted by the long hours of sleep. This significant trait of our people did not convince the ministries that stood behind the decision to close down shops at 9 p.m. to back off. Nobody in these ministries thought of the consequences of this strange decision. Economic analysts, who often sell cheap talk, have pointed out a number of benefits that could result from this decision. They claimed that it would reduce traffic congestion, save energy, cut down petrol consumption and streamline work hours of salesmen and saleswomen in these shops. They have in fact talked about a million other benefits that nobody can imagine. As it is easy to pinpoint the advantages of this decision, allow me to write about its loopholes and flaws. The shops usually close down during prayer time. This means that both the seller and the buyer will need more time to complete their transactions. The hot weather will not allow the sellers or the buyers to benefit from the morning hours. It is not conceivable that a man will excuse himself from his work to go out to buy a tap or a woman to leave her job to buy a dress or a makeup box. Therefore, shopping hours are already short and we do not need a ministerial decision to reduce them further. It is our custom to negotiate with the salesmen and saleswomen before buying anything in order to reach an agreeable price. Neither the seller nor the buyer is convinced by the price tags on commodities. The early closure of the shops will be in favor of the seller, who will ask for a price suitable to him just before the bell rings indicating the 9 p.m. closing time. Women shoppers take a long time to check the items they want to buy. They thoroughly study all choices before making a decision. All this will change because the new system will oblige women to go for the first item they come across under the pressure of time. Shopping is considered a source of recreation for many people. So what will these people do when the shops are closed down at 9 p.m.? I expect the incidence of domestic violence to increase due to boredom as people are obliged to stay at home after 9 p.m. The closure of shops at this time will not reduce traffic accidents as an economic analyst predicted. On the contrary, accidents will increase as people will be rushing to catch the shops before they close. People will come to realize that driving will become fatal five minutes before 9 p.m. as traffic accidents are going to increase around this time, similar to what happens during Ramadan just before the Maghreb prayer. So you see, it is easy to talk about the negative aspects of the decision. Good night, it is now close to 9 p.m.
