Last Monday, (17th of May), I received my first vaccine. I am delighted to have received it. All going well I should receive my second jab in the next three or four weeks. I hope many of you have received your first vaccinations as well. 

Last Monday was also the day that retail outlets reopened for business after almost five months of being closed. You could see the difference in my nearby town of Wexford. The atmosphere changed overnight from dull, quiet streets to a hive of activity busy with people going in and out of shops. It was wonderful to see.

The opening of non essential retail shops means that dealer showrooms are now open as well. Many of the behind the counter staff will be just as pleased to see customers coming in to brouse around to see what bargains are on offer, not just from a business point of view but from the social side of it as well. Many people will tell you that it is great to be able to walk into a shop and buy, at first hand, what they want , instead of scrolling on a computer screen to buy their product. The same satisfaction and pleasure of premises reopening also applies to the sales staff. Being able to interreact with customers again was a great relief. I heard one member of staff say that he missed having the chats with his customers. “It was great to see human beings back kicking tyres again”, he added. What he said showed how important it is in our industry to have that real life connection with our customers, to be able to have the chat, see their faces and to have a bit of banter with them as well. The same staff member went on to say that having the interaction with people was good for his mental health.

Speaking of mental health, it was great to see many dealers getting involved in the Darkness Into Light campaign on May the 8th last by bringing their tractors out early in the morning (as early as 4 am) to lend their support for Pieta House. Darkness Into Light was started by Pieta House in 2009 to raise awareness for victims of suicide and self harm. Unfortunately this year’s event could not take place at the usual Darkness Into Light venues due to the restrictions but, instead, the organisers encouraged participants to don their yellow shirts and take part in the event at a time and location that suited them. Almost €7.5 million has been raised so far, breaking previous years records.
 
Hopefully this will be the last time that retail outlets will have to shut down because of the pandemic. When all the vaccinations have been completed we will be living in a safer world. It looks like this disease will be around for some time to come. We will just have to learn how to live with it as best we can, without having to go through the sacrifices we endured in the previous lockdowns.