FRIDAY, MAY 4: All is not lost for those travellers looking for a newspaper or other sundries in the US departure lounge at the LF Wade International Airport.
Pulp and Circumstance’s airport store started selling those items this week with the closure of the Airport Store.
Kristi Grayston, Pulp and Circumstance owner, said: “The Airport Store’s closing was not actually a big surprise. We’ve been jumping through all kinds of hoops this week to make sure we have everything on offer in that departure.
She said the Duty Free Shop would likely be moving to the location of the former Airport Store. “There have been mutterings and rumours for the last few months and we weren’t really sure.”
She said Pulp and Circumstance started selling newspapers on Tuesday morning and was increasing its stock of other items throughout the week.
“We knew about this and have been slowly getting ready for it.”
“We’re going to have water, juice, sundries, candies and that kind of items. We’re going to ease into magazines.”
Ms Grayston said: “The airport has not been doing badly for us when it’s in season.
“Obviously the winters are difficult, but we had a lot of people come and ask to buy a paper and we would have to tell them they would have to go next door.
“Newspapers are kind of like loss leaders, but anybody in the departure lounge who is going to get a chocolate bar, a drink or a newspaper, is going to come through our store and have an opportunity to see what else we have on offer.
She said like any business, Pulp and Circumstance wants to draw the customers in, which then gives them a chance to see something else.
Service
“This is especially true at the airport because generally people aren’t in a hurry. We’ve had great success with our service which allows them to shop at our airport store and they don’t have to take it with them. We can take it to Hamilton and have it waiting when they return home.
“That was very popular at Christmas because people were going away on business on those early morning flights.
“They’d come in with a coffee in their hand and do their Christmas shopping. We’d wrap it all up and have it waiting for them in Hamilton for when they came back.