GETTING READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS IN A COVID WORLD By Anthony Stoeckert No one needs to be reminded that 2020 has been a difficult year, but the holiday season is a time to rejoice, gather with friends and family (while social distancing, of course) and celebrate. And home leisure retailers have lots of reasons to look forward to a merry Christmas indeed. While many businesses have suffered since the coronavirus began to spread and send the nation into quarantine this past spring, many home recreation stores are seeing prosperous times. That’s because people are spending more time at home than ever before, which has made owning a pool table, shuffleboard, foosball or other game particularly appealing. And unfortunately, the days where we go back to living life as we did in early 2020 appear to be a long way off. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told lawmakers in September that a vaccine likely won’t be available to most Americans before summer, or even early fall, of 2021. So there’s potential for your store to be a COVID silver lining, but that also means that there are lots of things you need to consider as you prepare your business for what promises to be a busy holiday season. “Any in-store shopping will be met with increased safety measures in place to protect shoppers and retail employees,” says Jon Cheney, CEO and co-founder of Seek. “This includes more curbside 42 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2020
pickup options, optimized store layouts to guide shopper foot traffic, and the addition of QR codes placed on shelves, which customers can scan using the camera on their smartphone to access more product information while minimizing human contact.” Something else to be prepared for is an early holiday season. Some shoppers are expected to get a head start on their Christmas lists so that they can get them out of the way and stay safely at home during the usual post-Thanksgiving rush. So make sure your store is ready for this very different, but still busy, holiday season with these tips.
SAFETY FIRST Obviously, you want to protect your customers, your employees and yourself from the coronavirus, so taking the necessary steps to minimize its spread is an absolute must for any store, but particularly for those that are expecting a significant number of walk-in customers. “Just like any retail store, home leisure stores need to follow the guidelines such as wearing masks and definitely using hand sanitizer at entrances to the store as customers will be touching items such as billiard cues and even tables,” says Ethan Taub, CEO of Goalry. “It’s necessary for shopkeepers to disinfect the surface following a visit.” Chris Boyles, vice president of Safety for Steritech, notes the importance
of employees being aware of proper cleaning, sanitizing practices and disinfecting protocols, social distancing, the proper use of face coverings and gloves, and coughing and sneezing etiquette. “Emphasize handwashing, handwashing, handwashing,” Boyles says. “Help create and reinforce a safety culture by setting expectations and recognizing employees that have exemplary practices.”
KEEP IT CLEAN The CDC is offering suggestions as to how businesses and other entities can properly clean their facilities during these unprecedented times. These include wearing disposable gloves when cleaning and disinfecting and cleaning surfaces with soap and water, which reduces germs, dirt and impurities. Then use a disinfectant, which kills germs. Focus your cleaning on frequently touched surfaces and objects that customers touch. Shopping baskets for example, should be cleaned after each use. It’s also imperative that you clean high-touch surfaces, including light switches, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, bathrooms, faucets and sinks, whenever a customer or employee comes in contact with them. Other steps to take include washing hands regularly and placing hand sanitizing stations throughout your store. Mason Miranda of Credit Card Insider suggests taking steps that can increase
