Tips For Encouraging Physical Distancing

With physical distancing now the ‘new norm’ it is the responsibility of retailers to keep their customers and employees safe.

Despite retailers implementing new policies and trying where possible to keep shoppers at the recommended physical distance of 6 feet or 2 meters, it has quickly proven to be challenging. Large crowds, narrow isles and poor signage are all contributing factors to an unsafe and stressful shopping experience. Luckily, Eddie’s is here with some helpful tips and a new range of social distancing products that have been specifically designed for the COVID-19 outbreak.

Properly Distanced Queueing

Whether the lines are in-store while customers wait to pay, or if it’s a queue of people waiting outside to enter the store, effectively managing these lines is essential.

Informing customers of where to stand while they line up is one of the most effective ways of ensuring that a safe social distance is maintained. Rather than crudely drawn signs and standing areas outlined with tape, we recommend the highly visible floor decal kit, ‘Safe Step’.

The ‘Safe Step’ queue management kit is a floor application used to help promote social distancing in a polite and simple manner. It's a gentle reminder to your customers and clients that everyone has a role to play in keeping our communities safe and healthy. The kit consists of four 12” x 2” rung marking labels asking customers to ‘Wait Here’ which are to be placed 6 feet apart and one 16” diameter round decal which is to be placed at the front of the queue. The vinyl floor signs are easily cleaned, can be repositioned and are simple to install.

Point of Sale Protection

In order to protect customers and staff at the point of sale, install a ‘Cashier Guard Shield’. The clear acrylic sneeze guard gets affixed to the counter with adhesive pads and features a pass-through for transactions. These cashier guards are sure to become commonplace in stores nation-wide over the coming weeks and months.

Mobile physical distancing barriers can be configured for virtually any application where personal separation is required for a safer and healthier environment. Create ideal traffic flow patterns at the checkout while maintaining safe physical distancing. These barriers are also ideal restaurants, classrooms, salons, gyms, yoga studios and more. Easily assembled mobile barriers can be snapped together to create a long run of protection. Create endless configurations by connecting multiple mobile shields & corner panels. Acrylic sheets allow a crystal clear view without impeding safety.

One Way In-Store Traffic Flow

The problem of narrow isles forcing people to come into close contact with one another was the inspiration for ‘Safe Shop’. ‘Safe Shop’ is another floor decal kit, with this version being applied to enforce a one-way system in stores.

One-way arrows are placed down aisles and ‘Do Not Enter’ signs at the entrance to certain aisles. This helps manage the traffic flow in grocery stores, pharmacies and other similar shopping environments, allowing for better physical distancing and creating a safer shopping experience for customers.

Signage & Stanchions

Effective outdoor signage can help educate customers about a store's social distancing policy before they enter. It is also recommended that stores use outdoor signage to inform customers of what in-demand products are no longer in stock (e.g. hand sanitizer), in order to help reduce crowd size.

Many retailers have decided to limit the number of shoppers allowed in a store at any given time. This has led to large crowds lining up outside as customers wait their turn. Forming orderly queues is essential to maintaining a safe distance between shoppers outside your store. We recommend using stanchions as a means of managing the queue and sending customers down a line in which 6-foot increments are clearly designated, ideally with floor signs such as ‘Safe Step’.

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

To add an extra layer of protection, it is recommended that employers provide their staff with the necessary PPE. Eddie's has a range of single use and reusable face masks, face visors and gloves that are available with quantity pricing. This is ideal for businesses that use PPE on a daily basis.

Our ulta-soft 3-ply face masks are single use and filters dust, pollen and allergens. Our transparent and breathable face visors (single use and reusable) forms a barrier to protect your eyes and face from respiratory droplets. Foam padding helps when the visor is worn for long periods of time. We also stock face shields that clip onto ball caps, that can be easily removed and reattached.

Regularly Sanitize and Disinfect

Arguably the most important responsibility of business owners when it comes to helping prevent the spread of infectious disease is to offer customers and staff hand sanitizer and to regularly disinfect frequently touched surfaces. Not only are you keeping patrons and employees safe, but you are also restoring confidence in your customers when they see that management have made a concerted effort to implement safety procedures.

We understand that offering hand sanitizer to every customer that enters your premises and disinfecting surfaces regularly will see you going through large volumes of both hand sanitizer and disinfectant. Therefore, we offer both in a range of sizes, going up to gallon sized tubs.

Hand sanitizer dispensers are another product that should not be overlooked. From floor standing automated dispensers to simple wall mounted dispensers, Eddie’s has you covered. Our battery operated dispensers provide a hands free and sanitary alternative to manually pushing a dispenser which can limit the risk of cross contamination. Users can simply wave a hand in front of the sensor which will trigger the machine to dispense an appropriate amount of hand sanitizer.