Why cn't card shops open?

[Graham.]

Our card shop does a range of fragrant oils, and they're essential.

[Broadback]

At least that is what I have been told. It is incomprehensible, as cards are sold in supermarkets and a few other "multiple" sales shops.

[Scott]

I think the argument is to do with presence. Presence in a food shop is essential and other items on sale are ancillary. Presence in a card shop is non-essential.

[Andy Burns]

AIUI any shop (excludes barbers/nail bars/fish to nibble your feet, etc) can open providing it meets distancing etc

[spuorgelgoog]

The same argument applies to clothes and a lot of other things.

I'm not sure what the most minimal amount of something is that a shop could sell to be categorised as 'essential'. A lot of card shops sells stamps.

But seriously, who under the age of 70 buys greetings cards these days?

Owain

[Andy Burns]

but NON-essential shops already opened in England since 15th (wales from

22nd, scotland from 29th)

[Dave Liquorice]

Non-essential shops can open, so long as it is safe to do so. Note "can". If the proprieter doesn't think it's "safe" or doesn't think opening will be worth their while, they'll stay closed. They are not being forced to open.

[Andy Burns]

Yes, that's what I said earlier ... maybe Owain didn't realise English shops were already allowed?

Doesn't look like any non-English Clinton's card shops open yet

[Scott]

I think the stores in Jersey and Guernsey might be open.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa)]

Fathers day is at the weekend. Brian

[T i m]

<snip>

Or 63 and for as far back as he can remember. ;-)

It's another one of those things (like smoking) where I have considered the bigger picture and decided really shouldn't go on (and especially as you say, 'these days').

We are talking of cutting down packaging of goods but then actually buy what could be the packaging of something on it's own (card, paper, cellophane), by walking into a shop, choosing, buying, carrying home, writing in and then applying a stamp and posting, for what?

Is it to placate our own fears ('What if they think worse of me because I didn't send them a card') or to make us feel better ('I sent them a card so I feel better').

The only cards I've ever appreciated are those that either contained money (birthday / xmas as a kid) or were home made, ideally from recycled materials (and hand delivered).

What I've noticed when I've been with people buying cards is they seem to look for the 'most appropriate' *of what's on offer* and either accepting the best of the worst or going elsewhere and seeing if they can get something slightly less bad?

So, you first go to the section that's appropriate, eg, 'Happy Birthday' or 'Congrats on passing your driving test' then see if you can find one that actually fits (60th or '3rd time lucky') and that has words inside that wouldn't be taken the wrong way or might be vaguely relevant?

Then the people get them, open them, have a quick glance inside to see who it's from, say 'oh, that's nice', before standing it down (and picking it up every time it get's blown / knocked over) to be thrown in the recycling n days later?

I wonder if the recipient would rather / just get a phone call or visit with your 'best wishes'?

My Mum and Dad used to be 'impressed' that their xmyth cards were on strings and covering 3 walls of their lounge (and often in several layers) as if that was a reflection of the number of friends they had. AFAIK, they were only in regular contact with maybe a handful of those 'people' and in most cases the xmyth card was the only communication they had with that person for the entire year (so was an acknowledgement that they were still alive at least)?

I wonder how long ago Hallmark decided this would be something we should all do. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Max Demian]

What a misery. Especially to/from people who hardly see each other. And it brightens up the room.

[spuorgelgoog]

When phone calls, or even international postage, were expensive, a christmas card might be the only communication in a year.

Now, we have Zoom. (And postage is still expensive.)

Temporary untidiness from when poor people couldn't afford wallpaper. Now, we paint everything white (or grey) and have hundred-inch tellies.

Owain

[Paul]

I got a haircut in a shopping center two days ago.

Everyone there brought their own PPE.

Not all the barbers showed up. And one barber was wearing a face shield (the transparent plastic kind), as some kind of joke.

Paul

[tim...]

If a shop sells necessary items (presumably above a de minimis amount) then it can open

once open it can sell anything that it stocks

so that's why supermarkets can sell cards

why cards are not a necessary items is left as an exercise for the reader

[tim...]

IME most people!

so are you suggesting that sending cards has had its day and young people don't bother

or

young people are internet savvy (and have more money than sense) and use the likes of moonpick to do their card sending for them

[spuorgelgoog]

Pretty much, yes.

I think those are largely middle-age middle-class people who are old enough to send cards, like the personalisation, and can afford the cost.

Owain

[Scott]

I'm not convinced that I want 60 people phoning me up during Christmas week.

I think the Christmas card is now the 'last man standing'. First, the football pools disappeared when collectors were introduces (during the

1971 postal strike, IIRC). Next it was social correspondence as the grannies and aunties started acquiring telephones. Then postcards when it became possible to send 'selfies' using the mobile phone and statements with teh advent of paperless banking and utility bills.

I have made a policy decision to continue to send Christmas cards as they are traditional and form part of the Christmas decorations though I resist adding new names!

[alan_m]

I still give cards to my aged mother but my brothers and I have come to other arrangements about cards and presents. (there is a strict spending limit on the exchange of presents to prevent the unwanted expensive gift situation)

There is still the "office" christmas card fiasco where it seems tradition in some offices that tens or hundreds of people exchange boxes of cards that usually go in the office waste bin on the clear-up day before taking the christmas break.

The company that I worked for for some time stopped sending real christmas cards to customers a decade or more ago and substituted a electronic versions instead (which was/is probably consigned to the recipients spam folder much more easily)

[Scott]

We had an agreement if the office not to exchange cards but to give the money to charity instead. I was approached by the 'organiser' for my money. As I was calculating the number of cards not sent, the boss approached and said 'Come on Scott, you are rich man. Just take the number of staff in the office and multiply by the cost of a card.' I replied, 'What about Gillian? I wouldn't give a card to Gillian.' 'Right enough', he said, 'Take the number of staff minus one.'