“Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits.”
– Thomas Jefferson
With the new normal upon us, there are a few critical activities that still have to get done. On a fortnightly or weekly basis, depending on your family’s size, you may have to run a few errands, including purchasing your groceries. Shopping patterns have changed, but people still have to shop, people still have to buy food. While retail chains are making an effort to adjust to the new changes, there are a few things that have made the shopping experience much easier in the current COVID-19 era.
As a start, since the majority of countries in the world are under a quarantine, the opening times of stores is actually changing. In some regions, stores that once were open for 24 hours are now open for about one third of the time. There are some regions that are optimizing their shopping activities to facilitate more online grocery ordering and the facilitation of either grocery pick up by the customers, or they are simply allowing their service to deliver to the customer.
The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak is increasing, and retailers have now challenged themselves more than ever to ensure that their customers are able to access essential goods, and to facilitate overall health and well-being of the entire communities that surround their operations. Life must go on…and essentially with a little care, it is possible to do what is necessary to keep your life on track.
What patients need to understand is that when it comes to their local retailers, they may have to understand that overall global supply chains have been impacted by the epidemic. Since we all are one…there are individuals who work in retailers wholesale facilities that also have been affected by the impact of the epidemic.
As a result, retailers have had to make extraordinary measures to ensure that goods are on the shelves. As a start, in some regions, once patients are entering the stores, there is the effort by the organization to sanitize the hands of their customers. What this will do is ensure that clean hands are touching the surfaces of food items and also the rest of the packaged goods on the shelves.
How can you as a consumer protect yourself while you shop?
One of the best things that you can do as a consumer, is identify your current shopping needs. Where possible, study your family operations. At best, you’ll have a fair idea of your shopping frequency. In order to minimize your exposure…take the time to identify items that you can:
- Purchase online and have delivered. You’ll already know what items you will need for your home, and items such as cleaning materials, shampoos, and items that are non-perishable are items that you can order online via systems such as Amazon.com. Here is a sample of non-perishable items that you can purchase from this site. Since sanitizing your home is a priority, here are a few cleaning essentials.
Cleaning supplies
- Disinfectants
- Disinfecting Wipes
- Scrubbing Sponges
- Laundry Detergent
- Yellow dusters/microfibre cloths
- Glass Cleaner
- Cleaning brushes
- A mop and bucket.
- A dustpan and brush
- Protective Gloves
- A plastic caddy to carry the essentials
Go ahead and make your list, and utilize the links above to organize your shopping cart. Once you place your order, you’ll be able to have the items delivered to you within a few days if you’ve ordered the regular service, or with next day delivery via Prime. You’ll feel more accomplished as a shopper for your household, and also be in a position where you won’t have to be exposing yourself un-necessarily for a few critical essentials. Let Amazon work for you! Recline in your backyard!!
The trip for your perishables will be shorter and more efficient. For this option, you can then go ahead and order online at your favorite store, and then pick up from their delivery point.
Life is good and all is well, with the advent of technology! Take advantage of online systems for your current shopping needs, and save yourself some time, and allow yourself to enjoy your quarantine time. What you can do in this instance is pamper yourself! More on that on the next blog article!!
