鈥淲e鈥檝e put together a critical response team. We鈥檝e been implementing changes,鈥� said Sonja Dahlman, Human Resources Manager for Southland Co-op. 鈥淔or the first hour, all our food store locations will be open for seniors and people who are vulnerable,鈥� Dahlman reported. 鈥淲e鈥檒l do everything we can to keep running,鈥� she added.
The new initiative for seniors and vulnerable citizens became effective on March 18. All of Southland鈥檚 food store locations are open for the first hour of each day from Monday to Friday for guests who need assistance 鈥� especially for seniors aged 60 and over and people with disabilities. Southland Co-op have asked their customers to respect the store鈥檚 first opening hours as times meant to be set aside for seniors, the disabled and vulnerable customers, so they can be allowed to shop in uncrowded aisles.
Afterwards, the food stores in Assiniboia, Coronach, Gravelbourg and Lafleche are scheduled to operate during regular hours. Although Co-op鈥檚 pharmacy has remained open along with the food stores, vaccines are not available at this time.
While Southland Food Stores and their pharmacy are opened during usual times, the Co-op Agro Centre will be closed on Saturdays until further notice. Also, the Southland Home Centre will be bolted on Sundays for the time being.
However, as Dahlman noted, the situations regarding Southland鈥檚 opening hours and other related factors could change as national and worldwide circumstances related to the pandemic are continuing to arise. 鈥淲e鈥檙e watching for updates on a daily basis,鈥� Dahlman noted. Since developments related to COVID-19 are evolving so quickly, Southland Co-op鈥檚 management want their customers to regularly read the information on their Facebook page to check for updated posts regarding possible fluctuations to opening hours and other essential details.
Southland Co-op hoped to reduce the number of outside items coming into their facilities, which meant that customers have been advised not to shop with reusable bags. Moreover, gas bar customers were requested to leave their reusable cups for coffee at home. Customers were also asked to purchase items with debit, credit or gift cards rather than cash, since money is often handled by several people throughout the course of a day.听 听听
An intense cleaning regime had been introduced at Southland Co-op to address the pandemic. Dahlman outlined the details regarding this new policy, where the tills, PIN pads and anything else the customer has touched has been wiped down. Every hour, the doorknobs and other areas in Southland Co-op Food Stores which involve high customer traffic will continue to be disinfected.
With the advent of the coronavirus, shoppers in Canada and the U.S. have been hoarding items such as toilet paper. Southland Co-op promised to keep ordering items such as toilet paper to address the demands of their customers. 鈥淩egarding any hot items 鈥� we鈥檒l get as much product on order as we can,鈥� Dahlman said. Yet, the availability of popular items will depend on whether these products are in Co-op鈥檚 warehouses 鈥� as well, the supply line from the manufacturers is vital.听 听
At this time, vacationers are returning to Saskatchewan after holidaying in another country. Dahlman recommended returning travellers to make use of the store鈥檚 phone ordering system rather than shop inside the store. Phone orders are available for people living in towns or rural areas. 鈥淟ots of people are coming back from travelling. We鈥檙e encouraging them to use the phone ordering system. Anyone who鈥檚 been out of the country for the last couple of weeks should be under self-isolation, so they should use the phone ordering system to get the things they need.鈥� 听听
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