Every convenience store in Ontario has the privilege of keeping their doors open to serve customers in every town, city and village in the province. It is imperative that we take this opportunity to ensure our stores are safe, sanitized and disciplined throughout this unknown crisis.
Please ensure that the standards for our employees and customers are at the highest level with clear direction to customers regarding social space, service counter distances, protocols for handling of cash and interaction with each customer and supplier.
Try to encourage the use of debit or credit cards, think of a local delivery options to help those in need and sanitize door handles and counter areas regularly throughout the day.
All employees should be wearing surgical-type of gloves and please refrain from purchasing any products from individuals who you have not regularly dealt with in the past.
The OCSA is supplying each store with two window signs (COVID-19 Window Signage) that you can download and print to be displayed on the front door to protect your employees and customers.
Sneeze guards or safety screens should be considered and we encourage everyone to budget for these and have them installed in the very near future. There are many suppliers willing to help and we’re happy to suggest two local options available to you as follows:
- Meehans – (905) 875-0090 / brankin@meehans.ca
- STM Displays – (905) 814-5252#243 / jeff.goyette@stmdisplays.com
Lottery sales and handling: Please visit our post about how lottery sales will remain open to ensure you are up to date on the best practices for employees and customers on the sale, redemption and handling of tickets sales.
All gas site operators: The OCSA is advocating for all Ontario gas stations and sites to start voluntarily enforcing ‘pre-pay at the pumps’. This will minimize drive-offs (which could increase during these difficult times), limit the number of people in the store and protect employees by reducing the amount of cash they’ll be required to handle throughout the day. We are encouraging the government to ask big gas companies and large banner gas retailers to lead with this and become part of a better solution for all gas stations in the province.
I want to thank every employee and every hard working family for your commitment to serve every citizen working long hours.
Let’s all work together to continually demonstrate to everyone in Ontario that the local family run convenience stores are the best options for every community during this ongoing crisis.
