Retailers in the Estevan area are looking forward to seeing their customers once again.
Retail outlets in Saskatchewan are able to open their doors to public access starting on Tuesday, although the way in which they do business will be very different than what it was a couple of months ago, when they were forced to shut their doors to in-person shopping due to COVID-19.
Many of the retailers, though, have been able to maintain some measure of service through online shopping and other means.
Jennifer Pettitt, who owns the Jenny Joans business on Fourth Street, said the past two months have been different, but they were fortunate to have their website established before the store was closed to the public.
鈥淲e were able to function at a capacity that is sustainable to us, so we are very happy about that,鈥� said Pettitt. 鈥淲e have had a lot of local support as well.鈥�
People have also been shopping over the phone.
Online shopping has been part of their business for the past three years, and Jenny Joans has a good base in Canada and the U.S. Their web-based business is a lot of work when compared to in-person sales, and Pettitt estimates they have done about half of the business they would normally do.
Jenny Joans has seven employees, but during the past two months, they have had to lay off their part-time and casual workers, leaving just Pettitt and another full-time worker.
When they reopen on Tuesday, they will be back to almost full staff levels. 聽
鈥淥ur hours are going to be a little bit less, not a lot 鈥� so that we can maintain a safe environment for people to shop,鈥� she said.
Rules now in place mean that people will be able to shop somewhat normally, but they will have hand sanitizer at both entrances and throughout the store. The front counter will have barriers to keep staff and customers safe.
鈥淲e will have directional arrows in the store, so it will be easy to keep the distance without really having to bypass another customer,鈥� she said.
The number of customers allowed in the store will be capped at five, and they might have to call or text customers to let them know it鈥檚 good to enter the store.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so that we can maintain a good distance and maintain a cleaning standard after each customer visits.鈥�
Customers will be allowed to try on items, but those items will be sanitized afterwards with a steamer that exceeds 200 degrees.
鈥淚t鈥檚 long enough to kill the coronavirus.鈥�
Items could also go into quarantine for 72 hours, which is long enough that the virus won鈥檛 live long enough on clothing.鈥�
Cleanings will occur at regular intervals, after every customer exchange at the till, and in the change rooms, so that people know it鈥檚 safe. Masks will be available for customers as well.
Items such as sunglasses can鈥檛 be tried on.
Pettitt said they have missed seeing their customers every day. It鈥檚 been such a long time, and Pettitt hopes customers will enjoy returning to the store.
The House of Stationery has also done pretty well, said owner Lincoln Empey. They locked the front doors a couple of months ago, leaving access to the back door for curbside pickups and access for deliveries.
While their sales are down from last year, they have been able to operate.
Most of their business has come through the phone, fax or email, rather than online.
The House of Stationery employs seven people, and the local business has been able to retain all of them, although they have been limited to part-time work.
They will still limit the number of staff they have on shift once the store reopens.
鈥淲e鈥檒l probably have three or four staff at a time to limit the amount of interaction from having that many people in the building at one time.鈥�
They will disinfect everything more diligently than normal, and implement social distancing measures with the store.
Empey said he looks forward to seeing their customers once again and getting the business back to some level of normalcy.
鈥淚鈥檝e been fortunate that I鈥檝e been one of the ones who has been doing the deliveries, so I get to see them every once in a while.鈥� 聽
The Estevan Shoppers Mall will be open again. They will be operating under reduced hours with some new procedures to keep everyone safe.
A few of the businesses have been able to remain open the past couple of months, because they fit under the essential services legislation. But others had to shut down. And much like other businesses, some adapted to keep serving customer needs.
Studio C 24-Hour Fitness won鈥檛 be able to open until a later date, but the other businesses will be open again.
Customers are asked to please enter through the west door by Sobeys, and to please respect social distancing. They should see individual stores for additional safety measures.
Phase 2 for Re-Open Saskatchewan includes retail shops like clothing stores, shoe stores, flower shops, sporting good and adventure stores, vaping supply shops (vaping and consumption of vaping products not permitted in stores); boat, ATV and snowmobile dealers; gift, book and stationery stores; jewelry and accessory stores; toy stores; music, electronic and entertainment stores; pawn shops; thrift stores; travel agencies; marinas and u-pick produce.
Also, some personal service businesses can begin providing services to the public, subject to the Personal Care Services Guidelines, including hairdressers and barber shops, registered massage therapists, acupuncturists and acupressurist.
Garage sales are not permitted at this time and will be re-assessed in later phases.
Public markets and farmers markets may begin operations with the necessary precautionary measures in place.
