Small businesses hit as sultry weather keeps people indoors

Sweltering conditions are forcing some shopkeepers in Doha to down shutters earlier than usual, Gulf Times reported.

With many people choosing not to remain outdoors other than for essential work, some shop operators said they were getting fewer customers than usual.

High temperatures and soaring humidity levels — particularly during the evenings — are prompting many residents to avoid stepping out.

Hamad Medical Corporation too has reminded Qatar’s residents to continue observing precautions and safeguard themselves, especially children, against heat exhaustion and heat stroke throughout the hottest summer months.

Speaking to Gulf Times, employees of some eateries and shops at Souq Waqif and other places said there has been a fall in the number of customers in the evenings. Open-air activities, in particular, have been hit hard as people are looking to spend their time indoors to escape the sultry weather.

An employee of a restaurant in Najma said they would normally attract a lot of customers in the evening, including foreigners, but the numbers had dwindled of late as the heat and humidity were taking a heavy toll on their business.

There has been a dip in the number of customers on weekends, too, he informed.

Besides affecting the revenues of restaurants, fewer customers also means a drop in “tips” offered to waiters, the employee rued.

Similarly, Abdul Faisal, the operator of a grocery in Doha, said many people are not stepping out of their homes in the late-evening hours — when humidity levels soar — and this is affecting their business.

Faisal said he and several other shopkeepers in the locality are closing their outlets earlier than usual. While the normal closing time is around midnight, he said now they are wrapping up by 11pm.

Some of the smaller groceries in the city are also remaining closed between 2pm and 4pm, it is found.

“This is because fewer customers are coming to shops due to the prevailing weather conditions,” he said.

It has also come to light that some suppliers are avoiding duties in the afternoon and late in the evening. Delivery boys too have raised concern about running errands in such weather conditions.

Courtesy: gulf-times.com