Many retailers have had to close their doors in accordance with new regulations concerning coronavirus, and those who are still open find that they’re doing business in completely new ways.
With more and more calls coming from political leaders and citizens alike, stores are embracing social distancing measures, such as marking off spots in check-out lines that are six feet apart. Grocery stores, like Ingles, have tried to manage their traffic flow to minimize contact between shoppers by setting aside an hour in the morning just for senior shoppers.
Mark Pruitt, store manager for the Georgia Road Ingles, said customers have handled new guidelines well and are getting used to new routines.
“Our traffic is down, but the average order size is up, so people are learning to stock up,” Pruitt said. “A lot of people are creatures of habit, so this takes time, but they’re being respectful.”
Lowe’s Home Improvement is taking things a step further by dedicating several staff positions to regulating the number of people through the doors at any given time and roaming the building to remind customers who get too close to practice social distancing.
They’ve turned the most attention to their check-out area, where sneeze guards, gloves, masks and distanced lines are all standard. Store manager Lance Golden said the staff is determined to minimize any risk of infection through transactions.
“With any retailer, the biggest problems you’re going to have are at the register,” Golden said. “If we protect our cashiers, we protect the whole community.”
Ironically, the stay-at-home mandate has actually driven up business for some retailers that are still open. Lowes is looking to hire 20-30 new people to help enforce its social distancing guidelines, and Appalachian ACE Hardware is overwhelmed with requests for cleaning and sanitation products.
Johnny Martin of ACE Hardware said that the supply of masks, for example, was exhausted almost as soon as the executive orders started rolling out, and the store just doesn’t have the resources to replenish it.
“With so many other places closed, the truth is we’re busier than ever,” Martin said. “But the things that everybody wants the most are things that we might not have for months.”
On April 9, N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper issued a new executive order forbidding retailers from having more than 20 percent of their fire capacity shopping at a time, as well as imposing stricter social distancing guidelines for them to enforce. Some stores, like Walmart, were already abiding by a 20 percent capacity rule, but even that won’t be a guarantee that people leave ample room without relentless enforcement.
Dori Coakley, head cashier at Lowes, asks that consumers be considerate of their fellow shoppers and employees. While she understands their frustration with all of the new rules, she says that they are only there to keep people safe and that store staffs are just as overwhelmed as they are, if not more so.
“We just ask for patience,” Coakley said. “This is all new to us, too.”