anyhow, it’s assur to go shopping on Chol Hamoed.
It’s assur to make general, blanket, statements that may or may not apply to people reading the CR.
Two of my daughters work in retail in Yerushalayim, and I guarantee you, they have plenty of business from all sorts of customers over chol hamoed, including chareidim. If shopping is assur, perhaps someone forgot to tell them.