Shoppers queuing for hours should be celebrated, not mocked

Ikea's re-opening has been such a success that it's looking to give furlough money back to a number of governments, let's hope other retailers are soon in a position to do the same, writes Ben Chapman

Hundreds of shoppers stand in line ahead of the store opening at Primark in Birmingham, Monday 15 June 2020 (Jacob King/PA Wire)

As shoppers jostled to get into Nike's flagship Oxford Street Store on Monday and queued outside Primark branches around the country, a few on social media sneered.

The general tone of such missives was: "Look at these idiots so desperate for shoes and t-shirts they'll queue up before the shops open." Such tweeters might want to reconsider their position.

There is a legitimate question to ask about whether it is safe to open shops right now. But, assuming our government is correct, then people should shop, they must shop. In fact, we desperately need them to shop.