Merchant Heroes: How Retailers Are Stepping up in a Time of Crisis

One of the biggest struggles we face in dealing with the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis is just that: it’s unprecedented. Or to put it another way, everybody wants to do the right thing, but nobody can say for certain what that is.

There’s a lot of conflicting information out there, based on everything from scientific evidence to wishful thinking. Every “answer”  you see—not matter how fervently it’s believed, or how much evidence is said to support it—is matched by a chorus of voices in disagreement…because again, we’ve never had to deal with this before.

Having said that, I don’t think you need medical training to know that some things are just practical: washing your hands. Sanitizing surfaces. Keeping your distance. These things are common sense…and when it comes to applying this common sense, I’d like to point out that retailers, as a group, are going above and beyond.

The pandemic has created a world of challenges for retailers, not the least of which is keeping their customers and employees as safe as possible. That’s a task in and of itself, made all the harder by the fact that “social distancing” has resulted in many merchants struggling just to keep their doors open.

Even amidst this chaos, however, I’m constantly being amazed at the lengths retailers are going to in an effort to deliver the best, safest service for customers—while still going all-out to protect their people. It can’t be easy to maintain that balance, and it wasn’t like we had a lot of time for trial-and-error. We needed the right answer right now; I doubt anyone is doing everything perfectly, but retailers still deserve kudos.

For example: I was in Costco yesterday. Costco has long held a reputation for being a good company to work for, and their crisis response is a great example of how they earned that title. To start with, all employees were wearing gloves; the ones out working the floor also had surgical masks or even face shields.

The check-out lines—typically the most madhouse part of a Costco run—were extremely orderly, for two reasons: first, social-distancing spaces were clearly marked on the floor, with the lines being closely watched and managed by a dedicated staff member. The second reason the check-out process was so orderly was that entry to the store was ALSO being controlled. Stacked pallets formed a “Z-line” that allowed strict access to the main entrance. It took more time, but not much… and it undoubtedly meant less exposure.

I know a lot of other stores have implemented similar procedures, to varying degrees. Costco’s is notable for the efficiency of the whole operation. And their efforts didn’t stop there: the retailer has installed clear Plexiglas shields between customers and cashiers—shields that are wiped down with disinfectant after each checkout.  The same is true of the card readers. And my membership card never left my possession: I held it while the cashier scanned it from a distance.

European retailer Lild has introduced similar precautions: cashier protection screens, crowd management within the building, floor markings and signage inside and outside the store. Both companies have also set aside certain shopping hours exclusively for use by those customers most vulnerable to the virus (the elderly and immune-compromised).

And again, I am not suggesting that these two merchants are the only ones adapting to the pandemic situation; if anything, I am saying the opposite. These are merely two stellar examples of an overall outstanding effort being put forth by retailers in general. It could be argued, I suppose, that that these moves are largely a matter of self-preservation; I choose to believe the companies leading this particular charge also have the greater good in mind.

At the end of the day, all the various things leaders do differently from other companies don’t suddenly materialize under crisis conditions. Rather, they’re the product of meticulous strategies and operational practices, the end result of decisions made and implemented before it became absolutely necessary. These retailers exemplify the idea of making employees so valuable that it’s worth the company’s efforts to protect them.

And that, I believe, is worth calling out. The measures business leaders are taking may be temporary, but they are not simply stop-gap: retailers (and others) are showing they’re in this for the long haul, and are doing what they can to come out of the crisis stronger.

If the current pandemic focuses attention on the good these companies are doing, it will at least have one positive impact. That’s a small silver lining to a very large dark cloud, but that makes it all the more important: these days, we’re taking any good news we can get.