By Pat Brown,
Contributing Writer
Customers who enter Annie Kaye’s Mainstreet Market in Blacksburg are greeted by two signs. The one outside informs them that the store is offering curbside service. The other asks that those who enter the store stay six feet apart. Tape on the floor shows what six feet look like.
That’s the way grocery shopping is in the time of COVID-19.
Like larger grocers, Annie Kay’s offers hand sanitizers at the store’s entrance and free gloves to in-store shoppers.
“It’s so easy,” said owner Paula Bolte of phone orders, “and we can usually get things ready within an hour.”
Larger stores require online orders for pick-up, and some even deliver.
“We’re pretty old school,” said Bolte.
As the coronavirus pandemic awareness heightened, “I told employees it was their choice whether to work or not,” said Bolte. She said some went home to families, but “most of my employees are college students who need the money.”
On North Main in Blacksburg, weekend manager Stephanie Proffitt, the weekend manager at Eats Natural Foods on North Main Street in Blacksburg, said his store is offering both curbside pick-up and delivery. Orders over $50 are taken to Blacksburg homes for free. Smaller orders incur a $5 delivery charge.
The manager of Food Lion on North Main in Blacksburg was busy on a register, so assistant manager Mike Walters talked about the situation. He estimated his store had added about 15 new associates recently. Some took the place of students leaving as Virginia Tech switched to on-line classes. Others were added to take on the extra cleaning tasks now required by corporate bosses: careful cleaning of cart handles, key pads, register belts, handles on cases throughout the store and even the metal doors for storerooms.
Food Lion required their stores to remove hand baskets and small grocery carts because larger baskets put more distance between customers, Walters said. They also marked examples of six feet on the floor to make customers more aware of social distancing requirements.
Another tactic the chain put into place was to remove large displays that are sometimes stacked into open spaces. The idea was to create wider spaces between shoppers. He said his store was able to get rid of all but one, the Krispy Kreme display.
“I figured it was okay to leave that one,” he said. “People need their comfort foods.”
He said some shoppers like to come in at 7 a.m. when the store opens. “The store hasn’t yet had all the traffic” of a typical day, and the overnight cleaning is fresh, Walters said. He said his staff has “stepped up to the plate” with some working overtime. “Sometimes they probably go home smelling like disinfectant,” he said, “but that’s not a bad thing.”
Food Lion on North Main offers pick-up service that can be arranged online. A few of the stores
in the chain offer delivery after online ordering.
Also available on line is pick-up and delivery at Walmart. In Fairlawn, Walmart manager Dan Bailey said he has seen good cooperation from customers. “But they are not used to keeping six feet apart,” he said.
His store offers 6 a.m. shopping on Tuesdays for seniors 60 and over. The store is open for other
Shoppers from 7 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Reducing Walmart store hours “gave us time to recover and get things stocked,” Bailey said.
Kroger Manager John Philips at the University Mall location referred questions to Kroger media relations. A Kroger spokesperson did say the stores are reserving the first hour of shopping for seniors 60 and over plus others who have compromised immune systems, but only Monday through Thursday. Stores open at 7 a.m.
Online orders can be picked up using special parking spots that are numbered and said employees will load cars for people. The first three pick-ups are free, then a $4.95 charge kicks in. Home delivery costs $9.95 and is available at the Radford/Fairlawn and Blacksburg stores.
The Christiansburg Kroger offers pick-up.
The spokesperson reported some stores are limiting the number of people who can be in the store at the same time. “I wouldn’t be surprised” if those restrictions come to our area, she said.
Prospective employees should apply online, she said. A personal interview will follow.
Aldi’s uses a contracted pick-up service called “Instacart,” which is available online only
(www.aldi.us). There is no telephone number listed online for the local store.
Pandemic fears have reminded us how dependent shoppers are on local grocery stores and their employees for sustenance.
Several tips are available on line. Use a grocery store that is making a serious effort to keep customers safe. That may mean shopping at off-peak hours when stores are less crowded and insisting on the six feet of clearance between shoppers, even though this may feel awkward. Some sources suggest a credit card is safer than cash. Back at home, shoppers should wash or wipe their groceries as they are unloaded and then clean countertops and wash hands.
