John Thompson, Nederland. I let my employees go, before the stay at home order, and told them to apply for unemployment immediately, before it became overwhelmed. I couldn’t put them in harm’s way.
So far, I have worked the last 68 days in a row, eight hours a day, by myself. I still have customers come in, mostly locals, but at this point you must assume everyone is infected and everything is contaminated so here is me trying to minimize the risk.
For the first couple weeks it was only locals, I required using hand sanitizer on entry, put up a plexiglass shield around the cash register area and then required masks for entry. This was well and good until recently when more and more people have been coming up.... mostly people from Boulder and the Denver area, but some people from farther afield. I had to start asking people “what are you looking for?” A question I would never ask normally (it tends to put customers on the spot), but now it is the perfect test. If they reply, “I’m just browsing”. I say, “Sorry, but I’m just here for necessities right now. I am here if you need something, but I cannot let you wander around the store right now”.
Most people understand. Some people are put off by it, but that’s OK; if people think that they can still wander aimlessly and touch everything, I don’t want them in the store. Starting last weekend Colorado lowered the alert to “safer at home” and are now allowing some, limited business. Boulder and the Denver area will follow shortly. The first people to come up will not be the ones who are cautious and understand the situation. The first ones are the ones skirting the rules, or simply disregarding them because they just don’t believe what’s going on. Once again, I don’t want those people in the store.
Last week I went into the highest level of defense (DEFCON 1); I put a simple table right as you walk in the door, blocking direct entry. Next to it is a big sign that says STOP. This has been very successful in keeping people from wandering straight in the store. When they come in they stop and I ask “What can I help you with?” Once again, if they are browsing, I simply say “I am sorry, I am just ‘to go’ right now. If you need something I am happy to help you, but I can’t have you wandering around the store”. If they are looking for something that I have a variety of (hats in different colors or something), I will give them hand sanitizer, let them past the barrier to look at specific things and remind them not to touch things that they are not going to purchase.
I have had a couple of instances where people scoot right around the table and I have to stop them and say, “I’m sorry, you can’t be back here right now”.
Yesterday I had an older couple who did this. The woman immediately started picking things up randomly. I apologized, told them I was ‘to go’ only and that hopefully things will change soon. As they left the man muttered back at me “I guess you don’t like money”. It INFURIATED me. Of course I like money. I need money. I have worked the last 68 days in a row, eight hours a day, to scrape together enough money to pay my rent, light bills, and basic expenses. On April 1st I took all the money I had, including ALL the cash out of the register (plus two rolls of quarters!) to pay my rent. I have NOT paid myself at all. I have worked 68 days for free... and put everything (food, dog food etc.) on my growing credit cards. I need money, I don’t need to risk myself or my community so you can get a Colorado keychain.
Most people understand this, I get a lot of “thank you for being here”. I appreciate that. I’m happy being open. I want to do what I can for my neighbors, like everyone else does these days.
In trying to be essential I have spent a lot of effort on finding the ‘unfindable’ - hand sanitizer and masks. Bandannas and balaclavas have sold very well when I can find them. Last week I was even able to score some non-medical pleated facemask (which were overpriced, I spent $350 to get 400 of them, and then gave them away to locals for free).
To businesses re-opening, here’s my advice; put up see through check out barriers to separate customers and checkers. Make masks mandatory, free hand sanitizer on entry/exit, do away with receipt signatures, receipts and bags (nobody wants them) and say, “Please don’t touch anything you aren’t considering buying”.
For the time being I will keep my entry table up and be very discerning about who I let in. The thing is, I want to be open for people in need, but I also want them in and out of the store as quick as possible with the least “points of contact”. This is very hard for stores like mine, where you carry a great variety of goods to appeal to a great variety of needs, which promotes people staying in the store longer to look around. The longer they stay, the people in the store, the greater the risk to me, to them and to our communities.
On top of all this, I misplaced my sanity about a week ago...or I may have inadvertently sold it, along with my soul.
(Originally published in the May 14, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)
