The COVID-19 pandemic means it's anything but business as usual for most locally-owned Orillia businesses, who are continuing to adapt on the fly.
Like many stores that remain open, Home Hardware has reduced its store hours from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and they introduced a new plan Monday morning which limits two customers in the store at a time.
Shoppers are no longer able to browse the store. However, store staff are happy to retrieve items for customers who call ahead, and then meet at the cash for purchase.
At the register, the interaction with the cashier has been changed as well. Home Hardware personnel have built safety guards out of wood and plastic to keep cashiers and customers safe. They are also asking customers to pay without cash, but by debit or credit.
“Our staff were worried, so we had to take measures to keep people feeling safe on staff and we want to make sure our customers can keep working,” said the King Street's store co-owner, Chris Locke.
So far, Locke and his staff have had nothing but positive feedback from their loyal customers.
“I was worried, but frankly everyone has been phenomenal and patient, and as the days move by we are going to get a little more efficient at this,” Locke said.
With the pandemic getting more serious by the hour, Locke says there is a chance that Home Hardware will have to take their precautionary measures further, and even possibly close their store.
“That is on the table. Right now, we are trying to protect our staff’s salaries and their ability to feed their families,” he said.
Unfortunately, over at Apple Annie’s Café, owners Susan Willsey and Nancy Willsey felt compelled to lay off their staff. However, the sisters are keeping their business running.
They have also reduced their hours of operation from seven days a week, down to five. The café is open now from Tuesdays to Saturdays under reduced hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and their offerings are reduced to coffee, pastries and their frozen food section which has become essential for locals who have anxiety about visiting a large store.
The café had overstock from their produce and dairy suppliers, so they are storing items in a cooler kept safe behind glass for customers.
“We are trying to meet the need of the community that we’ve been serving for 30 years,” Nancy Willsey said.
The sisters are also trying to make transactions contactless to protect customers. Similar to Home Hardware, they have put up barriers between the cash register and customers and placed dots on the floor to maintain two-metre separation between shoppers.
“It’s the biggest challenge we’ve ever faced as a business,” Willsey said.
Customers are also welcome to avoid coming into the store to pick up their products. The café is offering a contactless pick-up option where you can meet at their back entrance and have the sisters put the products in your car.
“People have been extremely positive. We are hearing all sorts of nice things which leads us to believe that we are doing the right thing,” said Willsey.
Willsey has also gone out of her way to make some deliveries to one of their visually impaired customers who hasn’t been able to make a trip to the store.
“We view ourselves as an essential service to the community,” Willsey said. "We want to be there for people who count on us in a lot of ways. We want to help people get through this.”
Country Produce is also trying to adapt. They have started offering curbside grocery pickup to customers who order ahead by phone or email with 24-hours notice.
“Customers are loving it,” said General Manager Tammy Ward.
Like most other businesses in town, Country Produce has faced their fair share of challenges brought on by the pandemic.
“It’s been fairly difficult but the staff have been amazing and everyone’s adapting to the measures we are putting in place which are challenging, but we are getting through it,” Ward said.
So far, luck has been mostly on their side as they haven’t faced the challenges that bigger stores are dealing with like warehousing and getting their products delivered. Country Produce staff are able to travel to their suppliers daily for pick up.
“All our farmers are producing chickens and eggs, so as long as we can keep doing it safely, we will,” Ward said.
