Brian Thomas
TVWBB Pro
Thought it might be a good idea to start a thread on this topic since the Covid-19 thread is getting rather long, so here goes.
Went up to the Rogue Valley area since we needed groceries and stopped at 4 places.
Trader Joe's: They're limiting the amount of people in the store and have a line outside with 6 foot partitions, etc. They also had a bottle of hand sanitizer available for people to clean their hands before being allowed to enter the store. A couple of employees were outside sanitizing the shopping carts and the hand held baskets. And then they would ask you if you wanted a cart or a basket. You had to wait until someone exited the store before being allowed in. Inside the store nearly all the employees were wearing masks and about 50% of the customers appeared to be wearing them. They had the 6 foot partitions at each checkout line and you had to wait until the person ahead of you was done with their transaction and leaving. They are taking this seriously and look to be on top of it.
Costco: LONG line outside the store and no actual partitions so the 6 foot distance is largely self-regulating. People were adhering to it so they're at least paying attention. As far as entering the store, same thing as Trader Joe's. A couple employees were cleaning the carts and they are regulating the number of people being allowed in the store at a time, etc. Inside the store it looked like roughly half the employees were wearing masks and about 25% of the customers appeared to be wearing them. The store looked to be well-stocked and they did have a list posted outside the entrance stating what items were currently out of stock. As you can guess it was all cleaning-sanitizing stuff. The meat dept was fully stocked as was everything else with the exception of cleaning stuff. In case you're wondering, the TP is fully stocked. They probably have a limit on the number you can buy at one time, but we didn't need any so I didn't check. They do have the Kingsford Professional twin packs in stock but they're at full price.
As expected, the food sample kiosks are gone. The food court has a VERY limited selection. Basically just the Hot Dog lunch combo, sodas, and whole pizza for take out only. That's it. The tables where folks could sit and eat are gone.
They have the 6 foot partitions at each checkout line and there were several employees directing you to what line to use and there was someone enforcing the social distancing at the checkout area too. Unfortunately there are some idiots who are not getting this. One person decided to get cute and try a shortcut to find the shortest line and dammed near knocked loose one of the fire extinguishers in the process.
The checkout procedure was the same as Trader Joe's you had to wait until the person ahead of you was done with their unloading and checkout before you could start.
Safeway: Seemed pretty lax compared to Trader Joe's and Costco. They're not regulating the number of people in the store. Can't comment on how well stocked they were since I just went in to get some chinese food for dinner. They did have the 6 foot partitions in place at each checkout line.
Winco: They're not regulating the number of people in the store, though they have reduced the number of shopping carts available and they are sanitizing them. Sort of. The person who was cleaning the carts would spray on the sanitizing stuff and then immediately wipe it off. You need to wait a little longer before doing that. Maybe 20% of the customers at most were wearing masks. They did have the 6 foot partitions in place at each checkout line, but it was clear that some of the customers are acting like idiots since the lady at the cash register where I checked out said to me "Thank you for following the social distancing rules. There are some shoppers who are not getting this".
The store was well stocked with the exception of cleaning supplies. This seems to be a common theme right now. How much cleaning supplies do you really need? Costco has stated that they are NOT accepting returns on cleaning supplies so if someone decided to hord it, they're stuck with it.
One thing to mention is that with stores like Trader Joe's and Costco limiting the number of shoppers at a time, it will take longer to get your shopping done, so plan accordingly.
I didn't stop at Lowes or HD so can't comment on how things are inside at either place.
Went up to the Rogue Valley area since we needed groceries and stopped at 4 places.
Trader Joe's: They're limiting the amount of people in the store and have a line outside with 6 foot partitions, etc. They also had a bottle of hand sanitizer available for people to clean their hands before being allowed to enter the store. A couple of employees were outside sanitizing the shopping carts and the hand held baskets. And then they would ask you if you wanted a cart or a basket. You had to wait until someone exited the store before being allowed in. Inside the store nearly all the employees were wearing masks and about 50% of the customers appeared to be wearing them. They had the 6 foot partitions at each checkout line and you had to wait until the person ahead of you was done with their transaction and leaving. They are taking this seriously and look to be on top of it.
Costco: LONG line outside the store and no actual partitions so the 6 foot distance is largely self-regulating. People were adhering to it so they're at least paying attention. As far as entering the store, same thing as Trader Joe's. A couple employees were cleaning the carts and they are regulating the number of people being allowed in the store at a time, etc. Inside the store it looked like roughly half the employees were wearing masks and about 25% of the customers appeared to be wearing them. The store looked to be well-stocked and they did have a list posted outside the entrance stating what items were currently out of stock. As you can guess it was all cleaning-sanitizing stuff. The meat dept was fully stocked as was everything else with the exception of cleaning stuff. In case you're wondering, the TP is fully stocked. They probably have a limit on the number you can buy at one time, but we didn't need any so I didn't check. They do have the Kingsford Professional twin packs in stock but they're at full price.
As expected, the food sample kiosks are gone. The food court has a VERY limited selection. Basically just the Hot Dog lunch combo, sodas, and whole pizza for take out only. That's it. The tables where folks could sit and eat are gone.
They have the 6 foot partitions at each checkout line and there were several employees directing you to what line to use and there was someone enforcing the social distancing at the checkout area too. Unfortunately there are some idiots who are not getting this. One person decided to get cute and try a shortcut to find the shortest line and dammed near knocked loose one of the fire extinguishers in the process.
The checkout procedure was the same as Trader Joe's you had to wait until the person ahead of you was done with their unloading and checkout before you could start.
Safeway: Seemed pretty lax compared to Trader Joe's and Costco. They're not regulating the number of people in the store. Can't comment on how well stocked they were since I just went in to get some chinese food for dinner. They did have the 6 foot partitions in place at each checkout line.
Winco: They're not regulating the number of people in the store, though they have reduced the number of shopping carts available and they are sanitizing them. Sort of. The person who was cleaning the carts would spray on the sanitizing stuff and then immediately wipe it off. You need to wait a little longer before doing that. Maybe 20% of the customers at most were wearing masks. They did have the 6 foot partitions in place at each checkout line, but it was clear that some of the customers are acting like idiots since the lady at the cash register where I checked out said to me "Thank you for following the social distancing rules. There are some shoppers who are not getting this".
The store was well stocked with the exception of cleaning supplies. This seems to be a common theme right now. How much cleaning supplies do you really need? Costco has stated that they are NOT accepting returns on cleaning supplies so if someone decided to hord it, they're stuck with it.
One thing to mention is that with stores like Trader Joe's and Costco limiting the number of shoppers at a time, it will take longer to get your shopping done, so plan accordingly.
I didn't stop at Lowes or HD so can't comment on how things are inside at either place.
