How are stores like Save Mart, Costco, Home Depot protecting Modesto shoppers, staff?
Keeping customers and employees safe should be the number one priority for open businesses across the Central Valley and beyond.
The ongoing coronavirus crisis and shutdowns have changed the way we live, shop and interact. Some companies have taken great precautions, others not so much. But every little bit helps during a global pandemic.
Here in Modesto and the Northern San Joaquin Valley, major grocer Save Mart has added shopping hours for first responders and medical professionals.
Other national chains like Costco and Home Depot have begun metering how many customers can enter at a time to prevent crowding and maintain appropriate social distance. And many more are installing plexiglass barriers between checkers and customers.
This week Modesto-based The Save Mart Companies announced it would start special hours for law enforcement, fire and medical personnel — including paramedics and EMTs — starting Thursday at all its stores in Northern California and Nevada. They will be allowed to shop one hour before and one hour after regular business hours each day at all Save Mart, FoodMaxx and Lucky grocery locations. Proof of credentials will be required.
“We want to give thanks to the dedicated, hardworking first responders throughout all our communities working the front lines during these extraordinary times,” said Save Mart Companies Senior Vice President of Retail Operations Hal Levitt in a written statement. “Medical, law and fire personnel are putting their lives on the line during this pandemic and we want to thank them and make their lives a little easier by extending these special dedicated shopping hours to them.”
Special hours for first responders
At area Save Mart store the first responder hours are 5 to 6 a.m. and 10 to 11 p.m. and at FoodMaxx they are 5 to 6 a.m. or 10 to midnight to 1 a.m.
The first responder hours come on top of the store’s announced weekly shopping hours for at-risk seniors and others, which many area stores have instituted recently. Those hours are 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday at all Save Mart, FoodMaxx and Lucky stores with extended pharmacy hours from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. throughout the region.
Plexiglass guards have gone up at many grocery chains and big-box retailers. You’ll find them at Save Mart, Smart & Final, Safeway, Raley’s, Lowes and other shops across the Central Valley. Many have also started putting 6-foot social distance markers on the floor to help people in line.
To help keep crowding to a minimum, this week Costco announced that starting Friday, April 3, it would only allow two people per membership card to enter the store at a time. A statement posted on the company website said, “This temporary change is for your safety and the safety of our employees and other members, and to further assist with our social distancing efforts. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.”
Folks, this is just common sense because you shouldn’t be dragging your whole family out to the store with you during this time. I know, everyone wants to get out of the house. But the whole point is to limit exposure so having three kids tagging along touching all the merchandise while you try to find toilet paper is not helping anyone.
Costco, Home Depot metering customers
Home Depot, another essential retailer open across the country, announced this week it will begin metering customers into all of its store. A Home Depot spokeswoman said the stores are only allowing 100 people in at a time, which may seem like a large number but when you consider most locations are about 100,000 square feet that’s plenty of elbow room. And it’s a good thing they did because this week I’ve received a small handful of complaints about over-crowded Home Depot stores locally and people not social distancing while inside.
So when you do go out to shop, look for stores that are taking your safety and their staff’s safety seriously. And when you do visit one of these essential services, get in and get out as efficiently as possible. Try to limit those trips to once a week at most, every two weeks or more ideally.
Shopping right now is no time to socialize, wander aimlessly or browse around. We are in a state of emergency where what has been most urgently asked of us is to just stay home.
Look, as bored as some of us have the luxury to be in our comfortable houses, others are still out there working tirelessly to keep the shelves stocked, food fresh, and generally keep the world spinning until our lives can resume to normal. Let’s help them — and all of us — stay healthy.
This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 2:14 PM.
