Energy costs: Galeria, Saturn, Ikea are leading the way - now the escalators in the department store are standing still

Created: 09/30/2022, 16:29

By: Stella Henrich

Not only consumers, but also companies should save electricity in view of the energy crisis.

Neon signs are now switched off earlier in inner cities.

Some turn off the escalators.

Munich ‒ Many an employee is already sitting in a cold office.

Because not only the citizens should save energy in order to become less dependent on Russian gas.

Short-term effective measures have also been in place in public buildings and companies since September 1st.

That's what Economics Minister Robert Habeck's energy-saving plan wants.

Minister Habeck is now adding an ordinance on October 1st to combat the energy crisis.

What these political guidelines mean for consumers is becoming particularly clear for customers of Galeria Kaufhof Karstadt.

You have to climb stairs everywhere.

Because the escalators stand still.

Customers read "This escalator is not defective" on signs.

Despite this, the escalators were not running, reports

.

The department store management wanted to save energy and therefore simply turned off some of the escalators.

The elevator in the department store and other escalators still work.

Saving Energy Bills: The End of Retail Convenience

As the magazine

reports, this measure is also being implemented at other companies.

The escalators also stand still at Saturn.

The furniture giant Ikea is examining whether implementation in the furniture stores is also possible.

However, it should already be clear to department store managers that shutting down escalators and other energy-saving measures will not be able to compensate for the exorbitant price increases in the energy sector.

After all, they too are of course customers of municipal utilities and utilities, who adjust their prices to the changed market situation and are currently clearly feeling the effects of consumers.

Galeria Karstadt in Düsseldorf with a locked escalator.

(Iconic image) © Michael Gstettenbauer/imago

Saving energy costs: a measure with far-reaching consequences

By switching off the escalators, large retail chains would save energy, "but the measure would have far-reaching consequences for certain groups of people," warns the industry

magazine

Escalators, for example, are essential for the disabled, the elderly or parents with prams.

Getting out of the escalators would lead to a massive restriction in mobility.

The shopping center operator ECE from Hamburg, for example, only switches off the escalators and elevators in many of its nationwide ECE shopping centers during off-peak times, early in the morning or in the evening.

This depends on "whether there are suitable alternative and barrier-free routes at the respective locations," says

.

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