Texas Reopens? Why Restaurants, Stores Are Still Struggling For Customers

Restaurants and stores are struggling to attract customers, as states like Texas reopen their economy amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. As of last Friday, retail stores, restaurants, malls, and movie theaters were allowed to reopen at limited capacity in Texas, with other businesses getting the green light later this month.

But with Texas and other states in the early stages of reopening efforts, there are still concerns from the public about returning to business as usual. Throughout the country, consumers have shown little confidence to return to businesses when there is no vaccine or cure for COVID-19.

"I think it’s going to be very hard to just go back to business as usual — as though the world will simply snap back to everything the way that it was just a couple of months ago," said Randall Kroszner, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago. "Not that the world is going to completely change and not go back to anything like it was. I think a lot of it will go back. But in many areas, particularly in the consumer-facing areas, it’s going to be very different."

Christy Armstrong, who works for a food distribution company, told Reuters Monday that she was “shocked” so many restaurants in Houston were empty.

“It’s sad to know that this is the first Monday we’ve reopened, and a lot of the places are still very empty,” she said. “I’m a little shocked it’s so dead out.”

In North Texas, the upscale NorthPark Center near Dallas only had a “smattering of vehicles” in its expansive parking lots on Saturday, Texas television station WFAA reported.

Foot traffic was light Friday at the Barton Creek Square mall in Austin.

“I just want people to come,” Malik Amjad, manager of Empire Jewelers at the mall, told the Austin-American Statesman newspaper. “I’m not sure if they’re still scared. Hopefully with time they will take precautions and feel more comfortable.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday will provide an update on the state’s response to the coronavirus. Texas ranked No. 8 in states with the fewest coronavirus restrictions, according to a study by WalletHub.

As of Tuesday at 11:50 a.m., there are 32,812 cases of the virus in the state, with the Texas death toll standing at 902.