Reduced to Clear launched yesterday in Masterton, opening its doors to the public for the first time at 8am.
Store development manager Luke Jones said it had been a busy debut.
“It’s been so hectic, we honestly haven’t had any time to take it all in,” he said.
Since leasing the space in March, the company had been under the pump to open its doors in time, and general manager Stephen Jones – who is also Luke’s father – said he is relieved they’ve met the deadline.
“Trying to open on time was a big deal – we’re relieved that bit is done now and we can get on with running it.”
Expecting the first day to be something of a “soft opening”, Stephen Jones said he was surprised to see people filling trolleys right from the get-go.
One lucky customer even got to fill their trolley for free, having won the draw for a 60-second trolley dash, and walked away with a “big mix of items”.
Stephen Jones said that although the store’s employees represent a new team, they’re all gelling together well.
“There have been some good laughs and banter with each other and customers.”
Stephen Jones believed the strong opening came down to a combination of social media and the community-driven nature of Wairarapa.
“It’s a friendly community here, and people are happy to see us. There was quite a bit of social media activity about the store on Facebook too.
“I even stopped wearing my polo shirt uniform outside so much because people kept stopping me in the street and asking questions about the business!
“Reduced to Clear and Masterton – a perfect marriage.”
The new Masterton store is the first of Reduced to Clear’s big flagship stores and the company eventually aims to have other locations based on the model.
To intelligent to tell the public what your selling.