Wellington cafe suffers ‘worst sales day ever’ as public sector job cuts bite

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ The hospitality crunch is worse than it has ever been, cafe owners say, as job cuts and the cost of living bite. Kris Bartley, the owner of Sweet Release cafe in Wellington , said she had the worst day of sales in her 10 years in business this week. “People just don’t have money .

People who do are saving their money in case they lose their jobs, which is totally fair.” Her customers were usually working professionals and students, but public sector job cuts had hit hard, and some customers had also expressed concerns about safety in Manners St where the cafe was situated, she said..