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Easter 2012 – Public holidays & non-trading days

Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday this year are observed on Friday 6 April, Sunday 8 April and Monday 9 April respectively.

Good Friday and Easter Monday are both public holidays, however Easter Sunday is not.

Good Friday and Easter Sunday are both non-trading days.

Unless a shop is specifically exempted, it is an offence to open on a non-trading day. Offenders are liable to prosecution and a $1,000 fine.

On non-trading days, shops such as dairies, service stations, souvenir shops, duty free stores, stores selling food ready to be eaten, bookstalls at public passenger transport terminals, pharmacies, shops at genuine exhibitions and shows may open. Other stores, (unless they hold a pre-existing exemption order) must be closed, with the single exception that garden centres may open on Easter Sunday. If you are required to be closed you may not offer any goods for sale or supply.

For Good Friday and Easter Monday the standard public holiday rules apply.

Remember that Easter Sunday is not a public holiday. If you cannot trade on Easter Sunday and your employment agreements do not deal with this, you will have to make arrangements with staff who would have normally worked on that day. Otherwise they will be entitled to their normal pay for that day.

You are able to have staff working, for example to do a stocktake or general reorganisation of stock (providing due process is followed with regard to the temporary change of duties), but the shop must remain closed. Any staff who do undertake this type of work for you on Easter Sunday will be due their ordinary pay rate.

Most stores instead arrange for all staff to have the day off. If the employment agreement allows changes of hours/days for temporary situations, this might include agreeing with the employee to swap a rostered day, or use an alternative holiday earned previously, or to take a day’s annual leave or leave without pay. You must agree any such changes in advance and should discuss this with affected employees at least two weeks before Easter.

If the employment agreement guarantees minimum hours, or does not provide for temporary changes, you are likely to have to pay for the day.

If the employment agreement deals with the issue, by saying that Easter Sunday will not be a working day if you are prevented from trading, you need only remind staff of the provision and invite any who still wish to be paid to apply for annual leave or an alternative holiday (if available).

If in doubt, members are welcome to phone the advisors on freephone 0800 472 472 or to download the NZRA circulars Shop Opening Hours and Guide to the Holidays Act 2003.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Christmas and New Year public holidays

This holiday season Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on Sundays and will trigger the special rules of transfer. For these days you will need to assess each employee's entitlement for each holiday separately.

The public holiday observation for Christmas Day will be either Sunday 25 December or Tuesday 27 December, depending on whether the employee usually works on Sunday. The same thing happens the following weekend, at New Year.

Remember that an employee is not entitled to more than four public holidays over this period. Their maximum possible entitlement is Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and 2 January. Also, they can miss a holiday altogether. For example, if they don't normally work on a Sunday or a Tuesday, and don't actually work on either 25 or 27 December, they have no entitlement to the Christmas Day holiday.

Boxing Day and 2 January fall on Mondays and are not subject to transfer.

For our circular on obligations and entitlements for this Christmas / New Year period, members click here or phone the Advisors on 0800 472 472.

Trading restriction

The only restricted trading day over this period is Christmas Day, Sunday 25 December.

Alternative days

An employee earns an alternative holiday by working on a public holiday that is also an ordinary working day for them. Remember the alternative day is a whole day off on pay, regardless of the hours actually worked on the public holiday.

Pay days and public holidays

If a public holiday is going to get in the way of a regular pay day you need to agree, in advance, on an alternative.

Discuss arrangements with staff in plenty of time. You may need to pay early. If you plan to pay late you will have to think again if this will create any budget problems for staff.

Members of the NZRA Retail Crime Prevention Group have offered the following pointers to minimise exposure to retail theft in the lead up to Christmas.

Retail Christmas Security and Loss Prevention Preparedness

With Christmas trading looking to kick off in the coming weeks it is time to consider your security and loss prevention readiness.

This article is a guide to completing a quick preparedness audit that not only deals with what you are expecting - increased customer counts and the cash they generate - but also with the unexpected. An extreme example of the unexpected occurred last Christmas Eve when an out of control car careered through into the shop floor. The right people were contacted and the store was ready for Boxing Day trading.

This security walk begins outside the store and then through the building looking at areas such as POS area, product security, store staff-only areas, access control, cash control, staff safety and emergency planning.

Environment

• Graffiti and untidy public areas and car parks will impact on your customers' decision to shop with you.  Get any problems with these areas tidied up.
• Check your inwards goods controls and facilities. You'll have larger stock volumes than normal and won't want it sitting around in the car park.
• Crime, such as vehicles being broken into, needs to be reported to your local police. Together with the police put steps in place to deter or detect such offending.
• You may be working later than usual. Where are the staff parking, what is the outside lighting like?
• What's your rubbish area like ˇV tempting to rummagers or arsonists?

Building security

• Check that your doors, windows, grills, locks and alarms are in good working order. It's better to deal with any small issues before they become major.
• Keys security.  Who has what keys and what are the key identification numbers in case they need to be replaced?
• With extra stock on hand, check your stockroom security. Will your systems and accuracy be maintained with the extra volumes?
• If the unexpected happens, Doors won't close, broken window etc, your best preparedness will be knowing who to call for help. Prepare a call out list just in case.

Robbery risk & cash control

• With extra cash on site comes extra risk of robbery - reduce the amount of cash held at your POS.
• Always use safes to secure cash.
• Revisit your company's Armed Robbery Safety Procedures.  If you don't have any, take advice from your local police or visit https://www.police.govt.nz/safety/business-crime-prevention.html to access the police crime prevention advice for businesses.
• Consider having a security company uplift your banking. Never take business cash home.
• Carefully vet temporary staff & reinforce company rules etc.
• Revisit your opening and closing procedures. Be aware of what's happening in your environment. If you think something or someone is suspicious, act on those suspicions - take a second look.
• If you do fall victim to a robbery, don't be a hero. Safety first. Remember robbers typically want just three things: control, money, escape.

Thieves

• Expect thieves to be 'out and about'. Increased customers in-store can give thieves extra cover but also increases the number of eyes on them.

Some good advice is to deter thieves is:

« Be aware of customers and their behaviour

« Show customers you are alert to what is happening in your store

« Always acknowledge customers and practice excellent customer service

« Don't stereotype; anyone can steal

• Ensure all staff understand what is expected of them in the event of theft. Conduct role plays with staff on dealing with suspicious customers.
• If an incident does happen and the thief is uncooperative or aggressive, don't give chase. The risk is too great. Observe from a safe distance to provide the police with information.

Fraud

1. Credit cards

• People using counterfeit or stolen credit cards will be more active over the busy period.  Some indicators of these fraudsters could be:

« The person not caring about price or warrantees etc

« Foreign cards

« Asking you to swipe a chip card rather than insert it into the card reader.

« Trying multiple cards if one is declined

« Using a card from a pocket rather than a wallet

« Wearing disguises like hats, sunglasses etc

• Ask for photo ID.
• Look closely at the card. Remember that if you phone for authorisation this does not guarantee payment. It will verify whether a card is genuine but not whether the owner is using it.
• If you accept card not present transactions, be extra vigilant with your checking. If in doubt, decline. The risk is yours. Talk to your bank about minimising the risk. Warning signs include:

« Large one-off purchases

« Multiple same items purchased

« Requested delivery address differs from cardholder's address

« Rush or urgent delivery requested

« Late request to change delivery address or notify delivery time

« Overseas delivery

« Country of delivery address differs to country of card issue.

2. Cheques

• Cheques are just a promise to pay.
• Blank cheques are relatively easy to steal. Ask for photo ID. Ask the customer to write their name and address on the back. Is it a local address? Does the bank Branch location match?
• If a cheque has already been signed ask the customer to sign another piece of paper and compare the signatures. Be particularly cautious of cheques payable to 'cash'.
• Consider accepting cheques only if the bearer is listed in the white pages and they have supporting identification.
• Consider using a third party company for credit/cheque verification.
• For more information on cheques and credit card fraud visit https://www.police.govt.nz/safety/business-crime-prevention.html

3. Counterfeit notes

There are always those who will attempt to pass fraudulent notes.  For information on what to look for in a genuine bank note visit www.rbnz.govt.nz/currency/money/polymer.pdf.

4. Returns and refunds

• Revisit your policies. Ensure all staff (including temporary staff) understand your policy and the law.
• Inspect all returns. You wouldn't be the first retailer to refund an apparent unopened box only to find it contains phone books or counterfeit or substandard products.
• Be alert to 'customers' coming into the store with no product who then steal a product to match the receipt they have. Good customer acknowledgement can deter this type of fraud.

Staff safety

With late nights and the increase of dishonest or aggressive people visiting stores around this time, it is always good to remind staff to keep safe.  Some advice is:

• If they notice 'strange' people alert the management team.
• When approaching these people, keep an extra distance. A good rule of thumb is two arms' length, use barriers, position yourself so they can leave the store without pushing past you.
• When leaving after dark have a torch, a mobile phone, and a plan. If possible use a buddy system.

Take your 'security walk' now. Be prepared and enjoy a successful holiday trading period.