Coronavirus: Salon owner's supermarket job keeping six families afloat during Covid-19 lockdown

Tuesday, 21 April 2020

Charlotte Ward owns Silk Skin Spa in New Plymouth but is working nights at New World to keep the business afloat and her staff employed.

Charlotte Ward's supermarket job is keeping her beauty salon and the six families it supports afloat during the coronavirus lockdown.

Ward, owner of Silk Skin Spa in New Plymouth, started working nights at New World two weeks into the lockdown.

Without the wage she earns as a personal shopper, her business would fold, she said.

'It is going to keep Silk's head above water, just. We won't be able to open until level 2 and if I wasn't working at the supermarket, we could stay afloat for a month.

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Charlotte Ward says her supermarket job is keeping her business, Silk Skin Spa, afloat during the coronavirus lockdown.

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'We could maybe make it to two or three but to pay bills yesterday, I already had to dip into our life savings.'

Ward said she felt a deep sense of responsibility to her five staff, who were doing paperwork and keeping up with training at home during lockdown.

'As a boss, you do have a responsibility and you just do what you've got to do. It's not just about me and my family, I've got to keep my girls employed so they can put food on the table,' she said.

'They're still working really hard, it's not only me trying to keep their jobs going.'

That would have been more difficult without the government wage subsidy, which had been 'a wonderful lifeline'.

Ward's five staff are working from home while the business is shut and she feels a deep sense of responisibility to them.

'I'm so grateful for the subsidy because I would have already had to let staff go without it,' she said.

'But there are still costs mounting up. The staff are still accruing holiday pay and there are still KiwiSaver contributions we have to make'

Although her hours at the supermarket were 'a bit crazy' and took her away from her children, Ward said the work was rewarding.

'I actually love it. I've spent a bit of time helping older people who have never had to use an online shopping service and that's lovely.

'I have immense mother's guilt, of course, for being at work for 30 hours a week and then spending another 30 or so on work for Silk,' she said.

'But it's a short-term loss of 'mum-time' for long-term survival.'

Her work for Silk included setting up a system for online sales when the country moves to alert level 3 next week, stock control and preparing vouchers bought during lockdown.

'Time is of the essence. We've got to be fast and get things implemented so when we can go, we're ready,' she said.

'We've had people buying vouchers to use for treatments when we reopen and so many words of encouragement.

'A situation like this brings out the best and the worst in people and I'm just humbled by how fantastic everyone's been.'