KRALENDIJK – There were many complaints of shoppers on the island about very long lines and empty shelves in the supermarkets on Saturday.

Every year, there is more hustle and bustle than usual between the mandatory closure of stores on Good Friday, followed by another mandatory closure on Easter Sunday.

Many shoppers feel that it is no longer appropriate for supermarkets to be required to close. Not only is the population larger than before, but there are also more tourists on the island, who often do their shopping. Waiting in line at the checkout for half an hour or more was certainly not uncommon on Saturday. On social media, many shoppers complained that they spent more than two hours doing their shopping.

While it may be difficult to imagine outside the island, it is more the rule than the exception on the island that not all necessary products are available in one supermarket. As a result, shoppers sometimes have to visit two to three supermarkets to find all the necessary products.

Mandatory closure

On Bonaire, there are four days a year when all stores, including supermarkets, are required to close. In addition to Good Friday and Easter Sunday, these days include Christmas Day and January 1st of the new year.

In recent years, an exemption has been granted to stores selling tourist products during visits by cruise ships, although the definition of what falls under this category is not very concrete in practice.