The COVID pandemic isn’t slowing down anytime soon, yet we still have to do our grocery shopping. Crowds walking the supermarket aisles are not the safest environment, actually, they’re hot spots for new infections.
We must all play our parts. For us it’s using face masks, staying at home, and keeping a safe social distance, but for stores, it’s more complicated than that. Shopping will never be the same, it can’t. Grocery stores are making changes to guarantee customers’ and employees’ safety, and these changes are part of the new normality. Here are 9 things you won’t be seeing in grocery stores anymore.
Crowds
Not all changes are bad! Chances are we’ll never experience a crowded supermarket again. Now we know that the coronavirus, and many other viruses for that matter, spread quickly in crowded places. Now grocery stores limit the number of people on-premise, in some places, to as limited as 30% capacity.
We won’t be seeing long lines either. When it comes to health risks, the fewer people you have in the same place, the better.
Self-Serve Stations and Food Bars
Although it is yet to be determined if the coronavirus can be transmitted through contaminated food, grocery stores aren’t risking it. Sitting areas and food halls have restricted capacities too, and the least people you have lined up for a scoop of potato salad and a piece of fried chicken, the better.
With diminished crowds, food bars are also less lucrative to supermarkets, and preparing large amounts of food that might or might not sell isn’t good for the store’s bottom line.
Touch Screens
In the same way restaurants are getting rid of physical menus, supermarkets and grocery stores must eliminate anything that can spread a virus from one customer to another, especially touch screens.
It just takes a single infected person using a touch screen to infect over a dozen people in a matter of minutes. Keep in mind the virus can stay active on surfaces for up to 24 hours.
The alternative would be wiping touch screens with disinfectant after every use, which is not happening anytime soon.
Penny Horses and Kid Rides
What’s a trip to the supermarket without a ride on a penny horse? Well, that’s now one of those things you’ll tell your kids about because they’re not experiencing it any time soon.
Hygiene is not a kids’ forte, and a sick kid can spread virus and bacteria to the next one with ease. Children appear to fare well against the coronavirus, but we can’t say the same about their parents and grandparents.
It took a global pandemic to convince us that supermarket kid rides represent a high risk of getting diseases.
Sales and Promotions
Some companies benefit from the COVID pandemic, but not the food industry, mainly if we focus on their logistics. Bulk buying in the form of panic shopping doesn’t help companies maintain proper stocks in supermarkets, and discounts could help increase this impulsive buying behavior.
Many food companies have discounted their prices already to stay competitive through the economic meltdown. Sales and promotions appear to be a better strategy for good times and stable economies.
24-hour Stores
The country’s largest grocery stores have intensive sanitation programs in place, and most of the activities take place during the night. This means fewer establishments will offer a 24-hour service, which wouldn’t allow the stores to comply with sanitation and safety measures.
Local curfews and limits on alcohol sales already reduce the need for 24-hour stores in some counties, and the rise of online shopping and delivery services add up. 24-hour stores might be a thing of the past, but time will tell.
Dirty Shopping Carts
For decades, we’ve known that shopping carts are the dirtiest, nastiest, and most dangerous things we put our hands on. Dozens of people manipulate the carts, spreading all kinds of disease. Yet, it took a deadly virus for us to do something about it.
For the first time, shopping carts are being sanitized between uses, and that’s a practice that’ll likely remain after the current pandemic is over.
Free Samples
There’s more bad news because free food samples might become just a fond memory. Eating in public places, even if it’s just a slice of sausage on a stick, makes customers remove their face masks, and we know the tastiest bites gather crowds. These consumer habits can help spread viruses, and we should avoid them. Free food samples might even be prohibited by law in the near future.
Having Your Groceries Bagged
There are many reasons why having someone bagging your groceries is not encouraged. For starters, it’s often people from vulnerable groups bagging stuff, like senior citizens — which have higher mortality rates against viruses. Then we have the handling of your items. The least handling the better, unless you want to risk carrying a deadly virus right into your home.
The Good Old Days
It’s surprising how things have changed in the last few months. Even the simplest things like going grocery shopping are massively different from what they used to be.
Most changes are good, especially if they’re there to stop a virus from spreading. Time will tell whether these changes will become the new norm or are only part of an emergency state. In the meantime, stay safe!
