Leading the way: Retail takes on critical role in COVID-19 battle
These are the times that try men’s souls.”
Unfortunately, Thomas Paine’s comment nearly 250 years ago holds true today. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused economic havoc and uncertainty unseen in this country in at least the last 90 years and perhaps ever.
Yet, drug and food retailers have remained at the front lines of the pandemic, second only to healthcare providers and first responders, in helping provide critical, life-sustaining services to the nation and its consumers during this crisis.
As the virus rapidly spreads across the country and around the world, retailers have been proudly running at a full sprint to keep up with the rapidly-changing environment of concerned customers and employees, a strained supply chain, and the effects of a tightening government lockdown.
They are playing a significant role, helping the nation navigate the crisis by providing needed food and medicine, while, at the same time, making significant adjustments to their operations to protect the health of their workers and their shoppers. Several retailers also have stepped up to fill a needed role by providing sites for patient testing, and some are hiring thousands of additional personnel amid mass layoffs in other industries.
Workers in Demand
It is quite clear how seriously the industry is taking this pandemic. Food and drug retailers are adding tens of thousands of workers to their stores and warehouses, boosting pay and enacting safeguards to protect their health as they come face-to-face with each other and with customers.
“It’s very important that we understand that people are what keep this industry open,” Baker said. “Maintaining their health, and also having contingency plans in place for labor, will be extremely important as this thing progresses.”
Several retailers have said they are increasing workers’ salaries as a form of “hazard pay.” Camp Hill, Pa.-based Rite Aid, for example, implemented a “Pandemic Pay” policy with $2-per-hour wage increases for hourly employees and bonuses for pharmacists and managers in both its stores and warehouses. Walgreens is offering a bonus to both full-time and hourly store and distribution center workers at the end of this month.
Rite Aid CEO Heyward Donigan told Drug Store News that one of the company’s main priorities is “keeping our associates healthy, because if they’re not healthy, they can’t be in the stores, or at the mail-order pharmacy, or at the specialty pharmacy, or at the PBM to serve our customers.
The challenge really does get back to keeping our associates healthy and helping them be able to keep up with this volume and keep products in stock.”
Cincinnati-based Kroger is among several retailers that have ramped up hiring to meet increased demand during the crisis. The company said it had positions open throughout its stores and warehouse network, and that qualified candidates could be placed within a matter of days.
Retailers also are redistributing their labor, shifting workers from positions that no longer are needed, such as stocking salad bars, to other responsibilities, Baker said.
Some retailers have implemented extraordinary safety precautions to protect their employees, including installing plexiglass partitions throughout their store networks to help protect their pharmacists and cashiers.
“Our associates are on the front lines, ensuring Americans have access to the food, services and products they need during this unprecedented pandemic,” Kroger said in a statement announcing the rollout of the new partitions. “We are committed to protecting the health and safety of our associates.”
Dedicated Senior Hours
Perhaps one of the most widespread initiatives retailers have adopted is the creation of dedicated shopping hours for older consumers, who are among the most at risk of serious illness from the disease. Retailers large and small have made this service available in their communities around the country.
Publix, for example, said it was opening its stores and pharmacies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. for customers age 65 years old and older. “We appreciate everyone’s support as we work together to protect the most vulnerable members of our community,” the retailer said in a statement.
Retailers also have been urging customers not to shop if they are sick, and promoting their delivery and pickup services more prominently, including through the free delivery of prescriptions. Both retailers and third-party delivery firms, such as Instacart and Shipt, have bolstered their staff with additional personnel to handle the influx of curbside pickup and delivery orders. Retailers also have warned customers that deliveries might be delayed and some products might be out of stock.
Rite Aid, in addition to detailing its wide-ranging efforts to protect employees and customers from infection, has been promoting its online and mobile app ordering capabilities, including free prescription delivery for certain qualified medications.
“We are working around the clock to procure products like sanitizer, cleansers, rubbing alcohol and other items our customers need,” Rite Aid’s Donigan said in a letter to customers. “We’ve also significantly increased our staffing levels to fill online orders quicker.”
The company said it established purchase limits of certain items both in store and online to ensure they are available for all customers. “We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to work on replenishing merchandise,” Donigan said.