By Ashlea Knickel
Key Points
- Similar procedures have been introduced to retail stores worldwide in an effort to stop the spread of Corona Virus
- Customers have had varying responses to new procedures
- Many retail workers are feeling stressed due to the new expectations that come with their jobs
- Although they receive mixed responses, masks are essential to stopping the spread
Throughout the Corona Virus pandemic, consumers and employees have had to adjust to new procedures to help stop the spread of contagions. However, it’s not been an easy process. In the past, most of us, as consumers, have been very casual about our hygiene practices, now we have had to adjust to taking extreme precautions in our everyday lives to prevent the spread of the virus.
Some of these precautions have included:
- Washing/sanitising our hands before entering stores
- Queuing due to customer capacity limits
- Receiving temperature checks
- Maintaining a social distance of 1.5 metres
But what about the people on the other side of the procedures, the employees? Employees working in customer service industries have not only had to adjust to new procedures themselves, but also ensure everyone around them is following suit.
While the majority of customers have accepted these procedures as necessary precautions, some have trouble understanding the effects of not following them and can cause distress to employees burdened with the task of enforcing.
To try and gain further understanding of how customer service employees around the world are coping; here are some people’s personal experiences.
America
America currently has the highest total cases globally with (at the time this was written) 4,427,493 cases. To put this into perspective, Australia has 16,303total cases.
Each person has experienced similar procedures to those in Australia in their workplace, including:
- Fitting rooms closed to customers
- Social distancing
- Customer capacity limits
- Extra cleaning measures
However, some of them also mentioned the use of mandating masks for employees/customers in stores.
Caitlyn Weiger, New Hampshire
Caitlyn’s store struggled to cope with the overnight introduction of multiple new procedures. She feels her store is understaffed for what the new procedures require, and management is only adding to the stress.
“My work made so many changes in one day that we physically could not keep up.”
“We started doing curb side pickup which we still don’t have enough staff to handle. Plus, only supervisors/managers can manually punch. In credit card number and it can only be done on one register, so it’s not exactly been easy.”
“I’m currently running two departments instead of one, and it shows. I can barely keep my mind afloat.”
Savannah Sylvester, Massachusetts
Savannah’s store introduced many of the same procedures we’ve seen in Australia, as well as the addition of mandatory mask wearing.
“(In my store we’ve introduced) fitting room closure, customer capacity limits, cart cleaners, cleaning pin pads and surfaces between each customer, someone cleaning the store’s high touch areas at all times, masks required, markers on the floor, and store hours have changed to close earlier and open later.”
Katie Thaxton, Ohio
Katie’s store has introduced similar policies, but they are unable to refuse service to customers not wearing masks.
“If the customer comes in without a mask on, we can’t deny them service or ask them to leave (the store). We just have to assume there is something medically wrong, a disability, or religious belief (that prevent them from wearing a mask) according to our governor.”
Katie’s store also periodically removed refillable drink stations.
Shannon Ford
Shannon is a Grocery Store Assistant Produce Manager and has noted similar procedures again, with the exception of mask-wearing.
“Face masks were mandatory for employees from about two months ago but was only suggested for customers until it was state mandated three days ago. Customers were fighting wearing masks until it was mandated.”
Unfortunately, Shannon has had her fair share of unpleasant customer experiences throughout the pandemic thus far.
“I actually got yelled at for reminding a customer about distancing, which is a job expectation now. She yelled ‘You’re not a doctor and can’t tell me how to be safe!’”
“People freak out if the cart wipe station is momentarily empty but have the nerve to leave their used masks and gloves anywhere but the trashcan.”
“I have seen the worst side of humanity since March, but the customers who thank you for just being there and doing your job make up for it.”
Canada
Canada has had a total of 117,357 cases throughout the pandemic.
Ruth Lint, Fredericton
Sadly, Ruth’s workplace has had very negative customer experiences when attempting to enforce covid-19 procedures.
“We have had to call the police on three people and ban them.”
“I have a co-worker who had a customer raise his fist to her when she asked for him to stay back six feet.”
“The whole thing has brought out the worst in humanity in Fredericton.”
England
England has had a total of 303,063 cases during the pandemic and has had to introduce tough procedures to help stop the further increase of cases. While it was advised to the public to wear face masks (or face coverings) earlier in the year, it has since become compulsory to wear a face masks in some public spaces.
Emma Perry
Emma has (mainly) good news to share on the public response to face masks, with only one incident to report.
“I’m actually surprised at how many people are wearing face coverings.”
“Although, there was a fight a couple days ago between customers over them.”
Australia
Australia has had a total of 16,303 cases over the pandemic. Lockdown had slowly begun to ease in Australia (with each state going at a different pace) before a second wave spread throughout Melbourne, Victoria. Since then, parts of Victoria have been put back under lockdown and other states are beginning to follow suit as the virus spreads.
Suka Fonoti, Melbourne
Suka’s store introduced procedures similar to those seen elsewhere. Initially she disliked the measures, but eventually grew to understand their importance.
“Initially we weren’t impressed about any of it (the procedures), or at least I wasn’t. However, the scarier things got the more I began to understand.”
“I learned quickly to ignore most of the comments made by members who disagreed with masks and social distancing, and I’ve also learnt how to stand my ground when members are invading my space or not following store policy.”
“Obviously, things were worse in the beginning, but the Melbourne public has actually done really well behaviour wise…I get thanked regularly, people understand limitations on certain products, and are generally pleasant to serve.”
“I think we can all only do our best, it just so happens some people’s best is better than others.”
Serafina Accetta, New South Wales
Serafina’s store has stopped taking cash payments during the pandemic, which some customers have struggled to come to terms with.
“My workplace has started only accepting card payments. Tap and Go card payments are very popular here and it hasn’t really been a big issue. The government even rolled out banks having to open bank accounts for seniors and other people who didn’t already have a card.”
“Although there are still a handful of customers that have verbally abused me because I wouldn’t accept their cash payments, even after I explain we don’t take cash because it gets passed around too much and it’s safer for both staff and customers to move to card only payments.”
“I’ve had customers personally attack my intelligence to the point I’ve cried and had a mini breakdown.”
General Experiences
Martin Rice’s workplace has enforced similar policies to those mentioned with slight variations.
“(There are) plastic screens at all the checkouts, dividers between double checkouts, one-way door entrances, a colleague on the door counting customers, hand sanitizer everywhere, cleaners doing extra shifts, trolleys getting jet washed, and (enforcement of) face masks.”
Amanda Leean Kausch’s workplace has also introduced similar procedures but are struggling with some.
“There’s signs up to tell customers that face masks are required, but we’ve been informed that we’re not allowed to enforce it. By and large, people have been wearing masks…but the ones who don’t are still in large numbers and I’d feel safer if we could turn them away.”
“People argue about (self-serve) stations we still don’t have due to covid, such as self-serve ice cream, but overall it’s been okay.”
Paving the Way – Joanne Obrzut Bush
By far the most impressive account of a store enforcing new procedures is Joanne Obrzut Bush’s workplace.
Joanne’s workplace has taken incredible measures to ensure that employees feel safe during the pandemic and worked hard to listen to any concerns.
“My company created really great protocols, including a limit of eight customers (in store) and never fewer than two of us working (at a time)…My store is about 1,500 sq. ft so I believe the legal limit is more like 26 (customers in store), which would have been extremely overwhelming right now.”
“They also banned open food and drinks and we are allowed to make people wear masks or ask them to leave. We have no let anyone in without a mask since we opened.”
“They also pay us if we have to quarantine and are giving us bonuses because they know they are asking a lot of us.”
“I see retail workers elsewhere being very stressed out and abused by customers, so I feel really thankful my company spent months of lockdown giving us surveys of what it would take for us to feel safe coming back, and then actually follow through.”
“I feel really bad for people working in stores where the company has no interest in actually following guidelines because I would be very stressed to be so unprotected around so many people.”
Although customers have mixed feeling towards them, face masks have proven to be very effective at reducing the spread of Corona Virus. Covid-19 can be spread through droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, etc. and masks are able to filter a large amount of these particles to prevent infection. As seen in Victoria, it is likely that face masks will become mandatory in certain public areas if the second wave continues.
Corona has brought out the best and worst in people and highlighted lacking areas in the customer service industry that, hopefully, will be corrected in the future. For now, we can only continue to follow procedures and hope those around us follow suit.