As UFCW 21 retail grocery members are increasingly deemed essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic, some of their stores have provided supportive environments that can help ensure safety and efficiency – both for them and their customers. Here are a few examples: 

As collected by UFCW 21 Member Wil Peterson

Pam Harmon, a cashier and Person In Charge (PIC) at Food Pavilion in Lynden, is committed to doing all she can to protect the people she serves. Thanks to the efforts of store management, she also feels protected as the coronavirus threat affects everyone. During the past week and a half, safety measures have become a top priority at the store.  

“I like it,” Pam said. “I think it’s important, and it’s better than what a lot of other businesses are doing.” 

Food Pavilion employees are required to have their temperatures checked prior to clocking in for shifts. If a fever is detected, they are sent home. Once cleared for duty, they must wear gloves while performing duties. 

Designated sanitation areas are set up for employees and customers. Sanitizing wipes are stocked at all checkstands, and belts are regularly wiped down. “We used to do it every hour,” Pam said, adding that the process now takes place every 15 minutes or so. “Everybody's conforming to the guidelines that our employers have sent out, which is really good.” 

Meanwhile, employees are being offered as many hours as they want to help meet the enormous traffic flow. “Business has escalated. It's at an all-time high,” Pam said. “But customers are patient.” 

“Safety first” could be a motto at the bustling Town & Country in Ballard. As employees deal with an explosion in business – “It's like Thanksgiving shopping everyday,” said Wine, Beer and Spirits Manager J'Nee DeLancey – they do so under conditions designed to help prevent any exposure to the coronavirus. 

Resuable bags are no longer allowed in the store. Shopping carts and baskets that were previously cleaned out back, J'Nee said, are now regularly sanitized in the front area for higher visibility. The hot-food and salad bar station is sanitized between uses, and customers are required to wear gloves when selecting items. Cashiers clean checkstand belts and self-checkout touch screens between transactions. In J'Nee's department, liquor-cabinet handles and other fixtures are cleaned at least once every hour. 

J'Nee, who just lost a friend to the COVID-19 virus, appreciates her store's commitment to employee and customer safety. That prevailing attitude has created an atmosphere of teamwork and camaraderie that crosses department lines. “Sometimes when I come in, I just take my coat off and start bagging,” she said.  

Holly Dodd, front-end supervisor at The Market in Anacortes, has nothing but praise for the protective measures implemented at her store since the coronavirus crisis emerged. “I think I am extremely fortunate where I work. We have tremendous support from management,” she said. “It’s not just lip service. From the beginning when this happened, the primary focus has been to keep us safe.” 

That support includes routine body temperature checks when employees report for shifts, ample supplies of protective gloves and hand sanitizer, and wipes for shopping carts. “And just constant education of what we can do to stay safe – what the virus is, what the symptoms are,” Holly said. “Every day it seems like we're getting more information.” 

Additional protective steps range from banners reminding customers to remain six feet apart, to laminated signs at each checkstand that urge customers to wash their hands and cover coughs. Prominently displayed restrooms signs emphasize the importance of thorough hand-washing activity. Purell dispensers are available throughout the store. 

Meanwhile, customer complaints about shortages have been minimal, Holly said. And fortunately, she added, positive comments about employees' service during this turbulent period is overwhelmingly positive. “That’s one of the things that keeps us going—them thanking us for being on the front lines.”