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Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article. On Monday (April 26), after four months of strict lockdown rules, the country moved from Level 4 to Level 3 of the Scottish Government’s five tiers of restrictions. Across the Capital early morning shoppers queued outside shops eagerly awaiting their reopening. On Princes Street, Primark welcomed its first bargain hunters back at 7.30am, with queues continuing throughout the day as far as the eye could see. Security guards were on hand to control numbers and make sure social distancing guidelines were properly followed. Zara was another popular stop for early morning shoppers with a crowd of over 40 patiently waiting for the store to open promptly at 9am. We’re just really excited to be speaking to people again Queues were also spotted at Lush on Edinburgh’s Princes Street and manager Alan Brown said staff had been looking forward to welcoming back customers. He said: “We’re just really excited to be speaking to people again after such a long time. We’ve been preparing for the last few weeks with lots of training, with the shop, getting all the new products out as well.” With restrictions lifted, it wasn’t just the retail sector able to welcome customers back. Hundreds of hospitality venues across the Capital have been able to invite delighted guests back in. It’s great to be open Graham Bucknall, co-owner of The Bridge Inn, Ratho said that his first table of three regulars came in at 11am to celebrate with three pints of Tennents. He said: “We shut our doors on Christmas Eve and here we are reopening four months and a day later. We have worked in glorious sunshine these last few weeks getting everything organised, so sure enough today has been windy and pretty cold. But at least the rain has stayed away for now. “Our first table of three regulars was at 11am and celebrated with three pints of Tennents. The second table to arrive ordered a bottle of champagne before they had even sat down. And then it has been just well-paced ever since. “It’s great to be open. And I never want to go through the last few months ever again.” A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.