How SouthCoast Businesses Are Adapting During the COVID-19 Crisis

I'm sure you've heard it a hundred times during the COVID-19 crisis: a lot has changed over the past few weeks. We're not sure how many of these changes will be temporary and how many will be permanent, but virtually every aspect of life as we know it looks different than it did 2-3 weeks ago.

We are trying to limit ourselves to our essential shopping once, maybe twice a week while social distancing is being encouraged. I haven't been to Stop & Shop since last weekend, and the first thing I noticed was that the store has installed glass partitions (pictured above) that offer protection to both their cashiers and to their customers. It was a welcome change, as there is nowhere near a six-foot separation between cashiers and customers.

I also noticed that the store had taped off the checkout lines to give visual cues to people so that they'll know how far to stand apart. I must say that Stop & Shop has been a retailer that has really stepped up during this public health emergency, offering their workers a 10 percent raise and extra sick time, then taking as many precautions as they can with the physical store. Not sure what else you could ask a retailer to do.

At Pet Supplies Plus in Fairhaven, a similar situation. Checkout lines showed customers where to stand with a six-foot separation between taped off squares. They've also made some adjustments are far as how many dogs can be in the store at once.

When leaving Pet Supplies, I was surprised to see GameStop conducting business. The employee at the Fairhaven Game Stop told me that they were filling orders at the store. People could call in what they wanted, and pick it up outside of the store. It's unclear whether GameStop was categorized as an essential retailer, although after two weeks straight with their kids, my bet is that some SouthCoast parents would lobby for the designation.