The 10-step plan for customers and staff to safely return to stores

As retailers reeling from the coronavirus crisis reopen their doors, they’ve been given a guide to help keep shoppers safe from the pandemic. These are the 10 things they want to do to protect everyone.

Kim Wilson, Fashion editor, Herald Sun

May 1, 2020

Australia’s major retailer associations have joined forces to formulate a plan for customers and staff to safely return to stores as social distancing regulations are gradually eased and community confidence grows.

The Shopping Centre Council of Australia, National Retail Association, Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, Pharmacy Guild of Australia and Australian Retailers Association have jointly developed 10 key actions to provide a consistent, practical and public health-led guide for shopping centres and retailers that continue to trade, are reopening or are preparing to re-open when COVID-19 restrictions start to ease.

According to the group, the plan is a simple and practical guide for retailers and shopping centres, bearing in mind key actions will be different at each shopping centre and retailer.

“Each shopping centre, retailer (eg cafe versus clothing versus pharmacy) and retail premises is different, including issues such as location, tenancy mix, operating hours, size, customer visits, open-air/enclosed spaces, customer access points, carparks, loading docks and co-location with public transport facilities,” the group says.

Customers have also been reminded to treat retail workers with respect as they continue to serve and ensure the community can access essential and other goods and services.

“Abusive and violent behaviour towards retail workers is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the group says.

10 steps retailers and shopping centres should take

1. Placing alcohol-based hand sanitiser at key locations such as store entrances, building entrances, customer service desks and food courts. Increasing frequent cleaning and disinfecting of regularly used objects and hard surfaces (e.g. payment registers, ETFPOS machines, handrails, bathroom door handles, shelves, shopping trolleys, counters and benches, food-court tables, staffrooms) and other key hygiene measures (e.g. waste disposal).
2. Facilitating and encouraging social distancing guidelines in accordance with Government or public health authority directions, which is currently a distance of 1.5m. Actions could include signage ‘reminders’, one-way queuing, and ground markings (e.g. stickers or tape) for queuing.
3. Ensuring public gathering limits in accordance with government direction are adhered to, which is currently no more than one person per 4sqm in stores (inclusive of staff), can be maintained. Actions could include regulating access points, monitoring customer counts at relevant entrances, and displaying signage.
4. Promoting contactless transactions such as ‘tap and go’ instead of cash for payments, facilitating distancing at counters and benches, and staff wearing disposable gloves when they are handling objects and money.
5. Monitoring and encouraging customer adherence to relevant public health guidelines by security guards and other personnel, which may also include police visits to shopping centres.
6. Continuing to focus on the community’s access to essential services such as supermarkets, pharmacies and health and medical facilities, especially for vulnerable people.
7. Daily check-ins with employees on their wellbeing, ensuring employees and contractors are properly trained and have access to relevant information and personal protective equipment.
8. These check-ins will include monitoring customer behaviour to ensure retail workers are being treated with respect — abusive and violent behaviour towards retail workers will not be tolerated.
9. Fostering open and frequent communication between shopping centre management and retailers, including to alert each party to any government or public health authority directive, to assist authorities when required, and continue to release information and guidance to employees and customers about good hygiene advice.
10. Maintaining relevant essential safety measures such as air-handling systems, exit doors, emergency power supply, smoke alarms, sprinkler systems and fire-isolated stairs.