Photo by Tyler Nelson
It’s official: COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in the mix for every business and person. Outpost Natural Foods is staying open to provide organic, local, fair trade food to those in the community, but they can’t do that if they are putting their employees and customers at risk.
“People yearn to be normal and do things they’re comfortable with during this time,” says Margaret Mittelstadt, Director of Community Relations for Outpost Natural Foods Cooperative. “People feel familiar with grocery stores, but they need to remember to keep their guard up. Most people get it, but there are a few that don’t understand or forget.”
For the safety of their staff, as well as customers, Outpost is issuing warnings to shoppers. They’re hoping that not only their customers take these measures seriously, but all shoppers in general heed some of these warnings in order to improve their store behaviors during the pandemic.
The idea is to get people to plan a little more in advance before shopping. Try and buy for the week, shop alone and practice social distancing while inside the store. This can be an exercise in patience that will benefit everyone in the long run.
Much like the news we reported on Sendik’s adding plexiglass barriers to checkout areas, Outpost stores are doing the same. They’ve adjusted their hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will be closed the first two Wednesdays in April in order to give all staff and central production a break. On Tuesdays and Thursdays during this crisis, they are opening their doors 30 minutes early in order to accommodate at-risk seniors. Now remember, early-entry hours are enforced by the honor-system, so please be kind.
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Photo by Tyler Nelson
Other similar co-ops and small grocery stores around the country have been forced to close during the coronavirus pandemic. Outpost still wants to stay open for the community, but they need your help to keep everyone involved safe. They’ve been using InstaCart online grocery service for the last year or so, but Mittelstadt says those orders are a little backed up now, and may take a few days to process.
Along with the limited hours and more planned out trip suggestions, Outpost is also asking that customers keep their reusable bags at home during this time. They’ve ordered washable facemasks for all employees and will even supply plastic gloves to shoppers. Customers are asked to bring their own sanitizing wipes to use on carts, if they wish. They are still using cleaning and sanitizing products, but have been unable to source disposable wipes for customer use.
“The traffic pattern is starting to normalize a little from the initial shock of the quarantine,” says Mittelstadt. “People shouldn’t feel like they have to panic-buy items in bulk. We’re still going to be here with everything you need.”
Help Outpost continue to help you. In the meantime, check out this interesting PSA on safe grocery shopping from a family physician.
