This holiday season, and into the New Year is going to look a little different than usual for retail stores.
The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the way Canadians live their lives, with more people opting for online shopping, and stores in many areas under lockdowns which prevent them from being able to allow shoppers inside.
We’re Silverman Consulting and Retail Services, a retail store sales consultant company and we want to tell you about the POST Promise, which is a commitment to welcoming your workers, and customers into your store in a safe manner, to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Keep reading to learn more about the POST Promise.
What Is POST?
POST stands for People Outside Safely Together.
The POST Promise Corporation is a nonprofit organization made up of Canadian business leaders who are focused on helping Canadians safely re-enter the workplace.
The POST Promise is an initiative for businesses to take measures to re-open safely and offers resources to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Businesses can make a declaration that they are participating in the POST Promise, and are given tools to help educate employees on aspects of workplace safety aimed at re-opening safely and limiting the spread of the virus.
They will also be allowed to display the POST Promise logo, as a signal to others that they are committed to protecting the health of their employees and customers.
Making The POST Promise
This year, many consumers are going to be looking for safety before who has the best holiday sales, or who is carrying the hottest new gadget.
Instead, many will be taking note of how businesses are protecting their employees, customers, and their community.
Business owners who don’t appear to be safe are likely to lose customers as people opt for other options, or do their shopping online.
Plus, depending on what they are doing and where they are located, they could also face fines, or worse.
The POST Promise is one way to commit to your staff, your customers, and your community that you are doing everything you can to limit the spread of the virus and keep everyone safe.
The five aspects of the Promise are aligned with recommendations made by the Public Health Agency of Canada and include washing hands, maintaining physical distance, staying home if you don’t feel well, wearing a mask or face covering, and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces.
Let’s have a closer look at each one.
1. Wash And Sanitize Your Hands Regularly
Proper hand hygiene is one of the easiest ways to reduce the spread of disease.
Germs can spread easily when you touch a contaminated surface, or cough or sneeze and then touch your face, prepare food or shake hands.
While washing your hands with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds, hand sanitizer of at least 60% alcohol is acceptable when hands are not visibly dirty or greasy.
Always wash or sanitize your hands:
- Before and after eating or preparing food
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- After using the washroom
- After coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose
- After handling garbage
- Before and after touching, putting on, or removing your mask or face covering
- Touching your eyes, mouth, or nose
- Entering or leaving a public area
- Touching high-touch surfaces such as shopping carts, door handles or cash registers
2. Maintain Physical Distance
From news reporters attaching a microphone to a hockey stick to keep distance during an interview to stores attaching their point-of-sale machines to a hockey stick to maintain distance from customers, over the past few months, we’ve seen many creative ways for people to maintain physical distance during this pandemic.
Who knew hockey sticks could be so versatile? Leave it to Canadians to figure this out.
Maintaining this two-metre distance from others protects all of us, as without everyone doing a COVID-19 screening test daily there is no way to know who is an asymptomatic carrier of this virus.
3. Stay Home If You’re Not Well
Employees should be encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms such as cough and fever on a daily basis and told to stay home if unwell.
Seeing as many employees fear risking losing their jobs or having hours cut if they stay home, store policies should encourage taking sick-time if needed with no repercussions and offering paid sick days so staff don’t risk coming in sick in order to put food on the table.
Just remember – the hit to your reputation and your bottom line if an employee comes in with COVID and spreads it to staff or customers will likely be much worse than offering policies which allow employees to take the time they need to recover.
4. Wear A Face Covering
Wearing a mask for face covering should be the standard policy when dealing with the public, and when distancing cannot be maintained.
For most people, a three-layer fabric mask will be sufficient protection, however, those in high-risk groups may prefer a higher grade medical mask.
You must also be aware that there are a very few people that can not wear masks for medical reasons.
It’s a good idea to have a discussion on how you may be able to assist these individuals while protecting them, your other customers and staff.
5. Clean & Disinfect Surfaces Regularly
It is not known exactly how long the virus which causes COVID-19 can survive on surfaces, although there is evidence to suggest it can survive anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on the type of surface.
For this reason, regular cleaning and disinfection of high-touch surfaces is an important part of reducing the spread of the virus.
Health Canada has released a list of disinfectants and sanitizers which can be used to help control the spread of COVID-19.
Contact Silverman Consulting & Retail Services
Have you decided 2020 was enough, and now you’re thinking of retiring or closing your business in the next 12 – 24 months?
Silverman has run a number of safe and successful retail sales events through the past few months of the pandemic.
We know how to run the biggest sale in your history while keeping everyone safe.
Give us a call today for more information or to schedule a consultation.
Silverman Consulting & Retail Services229 Yonge St suite 400,
Toronto, ON M5B 1N9, Canada
1 (888) 955-1069