What can grocery stores do to make their curbside pickup services more efficient during a COVID-19 outbreak?
I've seen different things done by my local grocery stores. Some examples:
- Make grocery aisles one-way
- Add 6ft stickers in check out lines to maintain distance
- Add additional stock clerks and drivers to facilitate delivery services
- Add senior hours for shopping in the early mornings
What other creative options have you seen that might help one store stand out from another?
Answers ( 1 )
None of your listed points have much of anything to do with curbside pick-up, and, while your question speaks to curbside pick-up, your detail makes it seem you are asking what grocery stores can do to "stand out" as helpful and safety conscious during this COVID crisis. I'll try to address both.
Inside-the-store shoppers should wear masks; I understand exactly the challenge to this- obdurate customers getting into hissing matches with store employees, then swearing they will never shop there again- but the store solves this by hiring a well-spoken, not-easily agitated bouncer-type for the in-door. Mask it or cask it, Lady; here, I'll give you this one for free. A rent-a-cop type works here, too. Patient, soft-spoken, patient, good-humored, patient, not easily intimidated, patient-- you get the picture.
One way aisles are great, but stores can do more to encourage falling in line with the idea by utilizing their moveable display shelves in positions which highly discourage anything but funneling into the proper direction in the proper aisle; stores might have to consult Vegas Casino designers, because those folks know how to keep a captive audience captive. Can't hurt. Stores can also consider re-tooling their product flow; too many stores' aisles still jump from spices to cleaning products to pet food to soda- there's no rhyme or reason there, so lots of frustration when trying to find one right aisle. Instead of designing to keep people passing different products to be tempted by, designers should be looking at getting people in-and-out using one-way pathways, as quickly as possible, with as little wandering around as possible. Hard-to-swallow marketing concept, but it is what is needed now.
Marked in-line spaces are great, but stores may want to reconsider one-line-per-checker in favor of one cattle-chute line for first available checker, which is what banks use. Again, the object is to provide both social distancing, and no reason to wander around aimlessly, or jump from line to line, possibly spreading germs. Stores may have to shift aisle shelves back from check stands to provide space, or find another creative way to maintain spacing while shuttling customers through to the first available checker.
Senior shopping hours are a godsend for many seniors, but might be a better service if done early morning one day a week, and late morning or early afterrnoon on another day of the week. Many seniors depend upon the kindness of neighbors and friends for transportation, and it is... rather rude to insist the person from whom you are asking both time and service also bow to your time table.
More staff is always needed in nearly any business- at least to the staff and customers. The managers watching those labor budget hours are another story, but there is no time like the present to have discussions about the need to sacrifice a little to keep your customers and local economy healthy. The labor budget is a made-up number, anyway, arrived at by guessing how long tasks per position should take, then fitting that number into number of employees/number of working hours/amount of profit needed until it all looks like something that won't make shareholders kick. Might be time for business owners and CEOs to kick back against that practice for a bit which is easily defended by reminding that the health of everyone who comes into the store is what will impact the health of dividends, most.
Curbside pick-up is so awesome- a game-changer for shopping. Here in my little town, the biggest complaint is that there aren't enough time slots available on the heaviest shopping days, so stores could maybe take a look at those metrics and see if they can find a way to add more slots on heavy days, or come up with an incentive to shop another time: "5% off entire order up to $50 if you reserve your pick-up time for after 8 p.m.!" "Two-for-one pricing on milk and eggs after 8 in the evening!" Make it worth peoples' time to make it easier on themselves.
Stores also need to consider the flow of their parking lots- most are designed with cars parked out there, a two-way driving lane between parked cars and store entries, and pedestrians crossing every which way, some with full carts and kids, while cars try not to hit them too hard. And now we want to add customers trying to find the three or so slots reserved for curbside pick-up customers. Not a good way to design a program for ease of use.
Stores should move their curbside service parking/waiting area to the deadest part of the parking lot- after all, it isn't customers having to walk all the way in from the back forty, it's employees, who are paid to do the work, pushing the cart-full of bags out to the customer who is waiting safely and patiently away from the cutthroat traffic of the front of the store. Easy sell, this one.
Stores may also want to consider, especially in times of popping COVID numbers in their area, encouraging new customers with the ever-favored "First three orders free of pick up charge!" or whatever extra is helping the store pay for the extra employees working curbside. After that. since customers are using an app, stores can offer "Free pick-up fee on every tenth order of $25 or more!" which is always a draw.
All of these will increase safety AND convenience to customers and staff at your local grocery store full of essential workers, vulnerable customers and necessary foodstuffs. win-win-win.