The idea for DunnesStories.com occurred to me while shopping during the madness of the lockdowns.
Dunnes became one of the few places of refuge for normality.
A social hub where people (in limited numbers) were out and about.
There was a pressure to get your shopping done quickly and so there was no real time for relaxed browsing. A rigid dash around the store to get the basics of life with the pressure of knowing another number limited group were waiting to get their shopping done as well.
All the usual time, effort and thought that goes into a running a big retail chain and experience like Dunnes for the benefit of their customers was being lost to the deep restrictions, the chance to discover a new product and find things you forgot you needed, or simply have a chat with a neighbour of friend you bumped into on the Tea & Biscuits aisle.
Dunnes Stores was full off untold stories on every shelf and around each and every aisle, but no one had time to discover them let alone hear them.