Snowbirds – Coming Home
Welcome Back To The Village… 

Buying Groceries is Different this Week!

• Line-ups to get into the store because they are only letting so many people in at one time allowing customers to safely social distance.  It looks like a really long line-up because everyone is six feet apart!  But it moved quickly.  The earlier in the day, I expect, the shorter the line-up.
• Grocery carts are being wiped down with disinfectant by staff.
• Sections of the store were closed because the staff cannot safely serve customers and social distance.  The butcher, the bakery, the customer service counters were all empty.  But there was staff available to ask and they were willing to go get products for me – for example, the butcher cut a roast as I needed.
• Shelves will be empty.  When I arrived there was a supply of toilet paper – but later the shelf was empty.  There were no hand sanitizers or disinfectant wipes – but clearly the shelves were full of other products. 
• Aisle floors were marked for Social Distancing – every six feet there was a strip of red tape to remind people not to get too close.
• Some people were wearing masks, but they were very few.  Some folks had gloves.  And some people were using the produce bags on their hands while in the store.  (I hear suggestions to use poop bags to cover your hands as well. Fresh ones please!)  
• Line-up to pay.  This was the longest line.  There was one line for cashiers (like a bank), which wrapped to the back of the store and around.  Again, earlier in the day the lineup was shorter. And again we all stood six feet apart which lengthened the line.  It took 25 minutes to get to the cashier.  A staff member at the front of the line was asking if I was using cash or credit for payment and directing customers to specific cash areas.  Customers were assigned only when the cashier was ready.
• Why so slow to cash out?
  • Only one customer in the cash area at a time. 
  • Cashier wipes down all surfaces including the credit card pin pad between each customer.
  • Cashier cannot bag your goods if you are using your own bags – they can’t touch them.  If you use the store plastic bags the cashier will pack them for you.
  • Cashier will ask if you want the receipt instead of automatically putting it in a bag.  Some customers won’t want it if the cashier touched it.
  • Fewer lanes were open.  Again for Social Distancing.  Only alternate lanes were open.
• What else is new?
  • Plexiglass shields between the cashiers and customers
  • No returns of many products.  The store does not want to take back something that has been in your home and they cannot sanitize – such as soft goods like clothing, and products not sealed.
• Once you paid you were directed out the store using a specific door, and not allowed back through that door if you forgot something.

Harvest Barn seems to be the best bet for quick orders

What about the garbage? 

What’s all the racket?