You need to do this to protect your business when re-opening your store after the shutdown
Who knew that the COVID-19 retail shop re-opening would be so complicated!
Like you, I’ve been picking up every bit of information I can on how to proceed.
To help my coaching clients I have been spending two to three hours a day on calls with resources in Canada, the US and Europe.
There’s one thing I haven’t heard in any of these calls about COVID-19 retail shop re-opening , and it’s critical for our survival in the next year. That is, how to protect your store from a quarantine.
It’s one thing to be closed when competitors are closed. But what if you have to close and they stay open? What if you have to close in the middle of your busy season?
That’s what will happen if one of your staff gets sick. In pretty much any jurisdiction you will have to quarantine everyone who worked with them. For fourteen days. You can’t afford that.
You need to have your staff work in clusters so only that group gets quarantined. That way the rest can keep the shop open.
Here’s how to keep your business safe:
1- If you have several stores, break your staff into teams that only work at one store. Make sure there is no contact between the employees (at work or outside of work).
2- If you have one store, and have enough staff, break them into teams that will never work together during the pandemic.
3- If you have one store but don’t have enough staff to create multiple teams then train a friend or distant family member in the basics so they can step in if your team gets quarantined. They may not be able to give much service but they can put through grab and go purchases.
The key is not to have any contact with this person after you train them. (If there’s someone in your circle you would like to avoid, this is your opportunity to do so!)
Until there’s a vaccine, people will get sick with COVID. Their contacts will be quarantined. Businesses will be shut. Don’t let your store be one of them.
If this is already part of your plans for re-opening your store after the shutdown, great. But I’ve sat in on hours and hours of talks with retail experts from around the world and no one ever mentioned this issue. I thought I should share it with you.
I hope it serves,
Stay safe, stay sane. Good luck
P.S. Let me know if there are other COVID-19 retail shop re-opening issues you would like me to address. Just leave your thoughts in the comments section.
