Dear Greene Hill Food Co-op Member-Owners & Shopping Community!

These last few days at the Co-op have been very busy as our members stock up on supplies and non-perishables and our management team responds to the stores increased demands. As Willa noted in The Weekly, our priority in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak is the health and safety of our members. To that end, if you are feeling in any way sick or showing any flu-like symptoms, we ask that you not come into the Co-op and alert the Work Tracking Team ASAP (and/or make a swap request on Humanity) if you cannot make your shift. 

We face specific challenges because we are a cooperative grocery store - where we rely upon membership labor to keep the store operating. At this time when more members have been calling in sick -  sales have been simultaneously booming - so we need that labor from those who are feeling 100% healthy to keep operations running smoothly! If you are feeling well, please consider stepping up and taking on some extra work hours at the store. We do not plan to shut our doors during this time because doing so would hurt our members who rely on us for food and supplies. 

As you’ve noticed, we’ve needed a LOT of last minute coverage due to self-quarantining and it has been so beautiful and amazing to see SO MANY MEMBERS stepping up to help out!  While we are a grocery store, we are a COMMUNITY and this has really shown up this week. So again - THANK YOU to everyone who is putting in extra hours, such as the Merch committee keeping our shelves stocked, Member-Owners doing extra shifts, our incredible Work Tracking team juggling all the shift cancellations and filling them almost immediately, and our unstoppable, devoted General Manager, Willa…..(and there’s probably more that we’re not naming here, if this is YOU, THANK YOU!)

For those concerned about how we can best handle the situation, here are some tips we’d love to share with you so that we can get through this TOGETHER as best as possible.

WORKING TIPS:

• Do not attend your shift if you are showing any flu-like symptoms:

  • Please alert the Work Tracking Team ASAP if you cannot make it in for your shift, so that we can fill your shift as soon as possible.

  • Alternatively, if you think you can swap your shift, for a later date, please do a swap request in Humanity - this helps alleviate the Work Tracking team’s work load. 

• If you are feeling well: please consider doing some extra shifts during this time to fill in any empty slots. Ironically this is the busiest we’ve ever been but simultaneously have more absences than usual due to illness, so we need as much help as possible to keep the Co-op operating smoothly.

• Hand washing: Wash your hands with soap and water inside the bathroom at minimum before and at the end of your shift. 

• Clock in and out via the Humanity App on your phone, rather than use the white computer if you want, otherwise just wash your hands afterwards if you use the store computer.

• Cleaning supplies + hand sanitizer: We have cleaning supplies in the bathroom and inside the cashiering cubby. Cashiers, please regularly wipe down the cashiering station while working. We also have hand sanitizer at the cashiering station for you to use regularly, and regular soap in the bathroom for hand washing. If you run out of cleaning supplies, "purchase" more supplies from the co-op to use, just be sure to ring up the supplies as zero at the cashiering station. Instructions on how to do that in the blue cashiering binder. 

• CLEAN, MOP, DISINFECT! If you have enough workers on your shift, have someone mop at the beginning of the shift. Closing shift, please mop the store again. At the beginning of each shift, please have someone clean all surfaces which are frequently touched with a disinfectant, this includes but is not limited to the following areas: 

  • the bulk bin scoops

  • handles of all fridges and freezers

  • handles of all shopping baskets

  • the check in computer and desk area

  • kombucha tap handles 

  • store white computer keyboard

  • Clean as much as possible given the available staff you have.

• Gloves: We are requiring anyone working with produce and cashiering to wear gloves, which are under register one with all the cleaning products. 

• Crowds/long lines at the store: Over the past few days, there's been a lot of shopping, long lines at the cashier and big orders. Shift leaders, please help out as a secondary cashier if need be. Also, don't be afraid to ask shoppers to help! There's a good chance a cashier is shopping in the store and might be available to hop onto the secondary cashiering station and help bring down the line. 

• Lend a hand: If you’re shopping in the store and see that the working staff needs help - help them out for a bit if you can.

• To reduce the amount of people and contact in the store, all orientations are going virtual till further notice. The Membership team will be sending that info out to all new members.

SHOPPING TIPS:

Whether you’re shopping in store or via a delivery method, here’s a good article on precautions to take ranging from but not exclusive to the following suggestions. We really recommend you read the article in full. 

• Wash nonporous containers. Simple rubbing with soap and water can kill the coronavirus because it tears apart its outer barrier. So use dish soap on plastic, glass, and metal before putting them away.

• Wash produce with soap and water. Because COVID-19 is from a family of viruses very likely deactivated by contact with soap and water, washing your fruit and vegetables with soap and water should eliminate any live virus.

• Wash your hands, counter, and other surfaces you’ve touched. Since we have a check in computer and bulk bins which share tools, please do this frequently while shopping and/or put on gloves while shopping (but don’t touch your face!) Also it’s suggested you do this washing process after you've put away the groceries in your own home.

• Go shopping at a time that’s less busy. If you type in the store’s name and location in Google search, a box often will pop up showing when foot traffic there is highest.

• Take germicide with you. Use it to wipe your hands and the cart before and after you shop.

• Use a credit or debit card. That way, you don’t have to hand over bills or receive change. Also, use your own pen to sign receipts. If you can, use a virtual payment system like Apple Pay so that you don't have to open your wallet at all.

Let’s remember that we are all in this together. It is OUR store, so let’s all lend a hand (if you’re not sick) and get through this as a COMMUNITY the best that we can!