“I didn’t sleep, I was waiting for anything and I came to do some activities here, if there is another flood,” said Jimmy Toral, general manager of Chiquimar, as he supervised the resumption of deliveries of goods to his stores. from its distribution center and central warehouse, located on Avenida Guillermo Cubillo, north of Guayaquil.

Toral’s uncertainty was due to the heavy rain that Guayaquil suffered at dawn on Tuesday, March 14, as the company had already suffered the loss of goods in a similar event that occurred on March 8, when, according to the executive, the water level reached 70 centimeters in space, where other business warehouses also work.

The intense rain left losses in sales and merchandise for merchants on José Luis Tamayo Avenue, in the north of Guayaquil

“We lost between 20% and 25% of the goods. In addition, for a week without the possibility of working, the sales points could not be supplied because, in addition, our trucks were flooded, all are in the workshops, as well as private vehicles”, complained Toral, who pointed out that they had placed bags with with sand at the entrance to the warehouse to prevent water from entering if there is another flood.

The trade union sector also warns of the impact on sales and the loss of goods in the commercial sector. The Chamber of Commerce of Guayaquil (CCG) told Diario EL UNIVERSO that the heavy rains led to the early closing of several businesses.

In Guayas alone, according to the Chamber’s data, there are more than 161,000 companies that could be affected by a reduction in customers, possible damage to goods, delays in logistics, etc.

“The problem of floods, despite the fact that the current ones are caused by a specific climate phenomenon, can and should be prevented by the authorities, who are obliged to maintain an efficient drainage system that minimizes this problem,” he said. .

Meanwhile, other companies are recording losses, perhaps not because of the goods, but because of customers who stop coming to the bars. This is the case of another company dedicated to the marketing of party products.

Its marketing manager, Sharon Constantine, recalled that due to the rain on March 8, water entered her store, but did not damage the goods because they acted immediately.

However, they recorded fewer customers visiting the establishment since that date. “When it rains, customer traffic drops by 70%,” said the executive, who revealed the company had projected those scenarios to prepare, although she acknowledged the measure doesn’t bring sales back 100%.

Constantine refers to the company’s initiative to encourage its customers not to leave their homes and to commit to home delivery purchases through online sales via WhatsApp chat bot.

Almacenes Tía, which has 252 stores across the country, has also implemented this strategy as an option for customers who cannot go to the stores due to rain.

A state of emergency was declared in Milagro due to floods caused by heavy rains

“For Tía, the rains are not unpleasant because we have home delivery on the premises, when these natural phenomena appear, customers usually order at home or buy online, in this sense there is no inconvenience due to sales, if it is not sold physically, it is sold through online or by home order,” reported the chain, which assures that in general the amounts of purchases on the web are of higher values, since customers tend to buy larger products.

The company also ruled out the possibility of losing goods in its premises due to rain. “Our stores are not as big as other supermarkets, we do not have so many stored goods that could be damaged, so far we have not had a flood in any store,” he added.

Meanwhile, the decrease in shopper visits due to the rain is reflected in some facilities in Guayaquil’s shopping malls. Store managers, who did not want to give more details, assure that up to 50% fewer customers visit their stores during heavy rains.