TIPS FOR FOOD SHOPPING DURING COVID-19: KEEPING YOU AND OUR RETAIL WORKERS SAFE
Let’s be candid for a few minutes. A trip to the store is nothing like it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. And it’s not going back to normal for a while. So we have to adjust to the “new normal.” Let’s discuss what that new normal is and how we can all help each other. We are going to provide some tips that will help keep you the shopper safe as well as our hard working, essential employees. These are to the point, so we added some “cheesy” food/meat jokes in for fun . . . They’re really bad, we know, but we’re trying to retain our senses of humor. Please read on!
Make a shopping list.
Shopping trips have become a necessity only. They sadly are no longer meant for browsing or perusing the aisles. To help make this as quick and painless as possible, make a list and shop for only what you need. The FDA suggests buying for a week or two at a time. Get enough so that you can “pig” out to deal with those quarantine blues (don’t really get or eat more than you need . . . we just needed a way to work a pig pun in)!
Designate one person per household to do your shopping.
It’s best to shop alone. While there are situations that are unavoidable (single-parents), it is best to try to shop alone. This exposes fewer people in your family to risk and it reduces the number of people in a store making social (physical) distancing easier. In many states, including us here in Kentucky, this is a mandate from the government and not just a rule by the store. Please don’t ask to be the exception to the rule. Shopping trips are the new alone time so “relish” the quiet.
Don’t shop if you have symptoms.
This is a simple one but so very important! Also, if you believe that you have been exposed to the virus, you should stay home. If you think you’re sick, don’t put others in a “pickle”. It is senseless to go out and risk others if you believe you have the virus.
Wash and/or sanitize your hands.
You should wash and/or sanitize your hands before you enter a store and when you leave (you don’t want to take any germs with you). We will sanitize your cart for you. This is a very important step to keep you, the customer, safe. Also remember not to touch your face after you’ve touched other things in the store. Washing and/or sanitizing your hands after you’ve been in the store is just as effective as wearing gloves. Gloves sometimes give people a false sense of security, but you can just as easily spread germs with gloves on when you touch multiple things.
Maintain Social Distancing, Including from Us!
Do your best to maintain 6 feet between you and other shoppers and our employees. Please don’t ask us to look at a rib eye loin for you or crowd our carts when we’re putting things out; those things require us to get too close to you. Staying 6 feet apart helps to keep you and us safe. These habits are hard to break, and we sometimes forget too. Keeping essential employees well is key to the safety of our food supply, so please “moooo-ve” back.
Wear a mask.
This is now a mandate from our Governor anytime you go out. We are wearing masks to help keep you safe and appreciate those who return the favor. Keep in mind this is not a substitute for social distancing. Don’t be “chicken” to wear a mask in public!
Touch only what you buy.
By touching multiple packages trying to find the exact right package of meat, you may be spreading germs to other surfaces. All our meat is fresh, so you shouldn’t need to dig to find anything. Take what is on top to avoid touching multiple packages and to speed up your shopping time.
Expect out of stock items.
This is just part of the “new norm”. It isn’t that someone forgot to place an order or the person didn’t stock correctly. Supply chains are affected by this causing the outages. Also, the surge in demand means that we simply don’t have time to make some things. When a store is out of an item, avoid asking an employee to “check in the back”. This is for a couple reasons. For one, it’s going to limit physical distancing between you and the employee. Two, most of the time the employee has no idea when that item will return to stock. And three, it takes them away from critical tasks that keep production going. Please don’t “balk” when there is an empty space on the shelf (get it . . . like a chicken goes balk, balk, balk, balk).
Unfortunately, grocery and retail store employees are taking the brunt of many people’s aggressions and aggravations. These essential employees are coming to work and put themselves and their family at risk. We are all going through an array of emotions during this time and it’s a huge adjustment for everyone. Trust us, we want nothing more than to return to the old “normal”. So let’s all agree to help each other through this unprecedented time. Mustard (muster) the courage to do the right things!
Stay safe, stay healthy, and we’ll ketchup (catch up) later.
COVID-19 FAQ
We will continue to be your meat destination for a large selection of meat items and pantry goods.
Let us help you answer some of our most commonly asked questions during the COVID-19 crisis:
- We are slowly reintroducing bundles. We are trying to offer a few bundles each week. All other bundles are currently unavailable. Many items that you would normally find in a bundle are still available but you will have select your items in a la carte manner instead of purchasing as a bundle. This is because we are working on building inventory levels back up in order to be able to bring back bundles. We appreciate your patience on this.
- The Pick 5 is currently available during this time. But some items may not be in stock and the item availability can vary.
- Due to the increase in interest in our wholesale beef, we are moving to standard cuts only to accelerate our processing time. This will allow us to provide more product to more customers faster. You can currently call us to request a half of a hog and/or a split quarter of beef per household. Visit our Wholesale page under “Products” for more info.
- There may be times when we are unable to take phone calls, messages etc. regarding price checks. During peak times, our team simply cannot stop what they are doing to check.
- We are open from 9am-6pm Monday through Saturday. We have added a Senior shopping hour on Tuesday and Thursdays from 8am-9am.
- We may have a line outside – this is usually on Saturday’s. Please practice SOCIAL DISTANCING. We have personnel out there and have marked the pavement, but you have to use common sense and spread out. Please note, as of 3/11/21 we have not had need to form a line for some time.
- Also, please practice social distancing in the store, we have also put markers on the ground at the checkout line.
- We are now slicing individual orders in our deli on demand. PLEASE NOTE IF IT BECOMES BUSY, WE WILL CLOSE OUR DELI FOR ON DEMAND ORDERS. We will still be slicing and making cuts available for you to ‘grab-n-go, or you can call a day in advance to place an order.
- We can slice loins if you call us in advance to tell us how you would like it sliced and packaged. During peak times we will be able to slice loins, but will not be able to package as it creates a bottleneck and makes it harder for shoppers to practice social distancing.
- Yes, our store is open and you can come in and shop.
- Follow our Facebook page for regular updates.
As we reintroduce our normal business practices, we will announce them on Facebook.