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Some Thompson stores continuing regular operations, others reducing hours in response to COVID-19

For some Thompson stores, it’s business as usual despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with special attention being paid to sanitation and ensuring people aren’t in close proximity to each other whenever possible.
walmart exterior may 2019
Walmart Canada says its stores are trying to keep high-demand products like hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies and toilet paper well-stocked as part of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For some Thompson stores, it’s business as usual despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with special attention being paid to sanitation and ensuring people aren’t in close proximity to each other whenever possible.

At Thompson’s Family Foods, which is owned by Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, there are no current plans for changes to the stores operations, provided there is sufficient staff. The manager who spoke to the Thompson Citizen said employees are trying to remain six feet away from each other and customers whenever possible and frequently cleaning surfaces that they and customers touch often, such as the conveyor belts at the registers, the cash registers themselves and debit machine keypads. Resupply shipments are still arriving three times per week, usually on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with no plans to change things up, though the situation could change quickly in response to the number of COVID-19 cases in Manitoba and where the affected people are.

At Clarke’s Pharmacy, hours and operations are carrying on as normal, says owner Darren King.

“I don’t anticipate any changes,” King said.

Thompson Canadian Tire owner/operator Mike Howell said in an email that, “In light of everything that is going on with the COVID-19, we are temporarily changing our store hours.”

As of March 20, the store will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, with the auto service centre open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

Walmart’s manager of corporate affairs says the company’s stores have received information about taking proper precautions and that the company is doing its best to ensure products customers are asking for, such as hand sanitizer, paper products, cleaning supplies and non-perishables, are restocked as quickly as possible, and that stores have been granted discretion to limit the number of products customers can purchase so that other customers have the opportunity to buy the supplies they need. Cleaning has also been increased in Walmart stores with employees dedicated to cleaning key areas throughout the day. The company has also instituted a policy to pay any employees under mandated quarantine for any hours they were scheduled to work during the two-week quarantine period. Walmart did not provide specific answers to questions about  store hours or their resupply schedule for the Thompson store and whether any changes will be made to them. However, an employee of the store said in a post in the Thompson Talk Facebook group March 21 that the store would be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, with the hour between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. reserved for seniors. The post did not say what the hours would be on weekends, but Thompson municipal bylaws restrict Sunday store openings for most stores to between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

"There are currently no plans to reduce hours and we are in constant contact with our vendors,” said a Giant Tiger spokesperson in an email March 19, though later that day a notice was posted from the Thomson store on Thompson Talk stating that the store would only be open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday to Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays starting March 21. “We remain committed to ensuring our supply of essential items remains intact for customers at our everyday low prices. We have a constant flow of goods and increased deliveries to meet the unprecedented demand and where we have shortages on certain key items we are actively working with our vendors on replenishment.”

Giant Tiger has temporarily closed all in-store public washrooms for health and safety reasons and is asking customers who feel unwell or who have returned from international travel in the last 14 days not to visit their stores in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The store is also encouraging customers to use debit or credit cards rather than cash when possible and to practise social distancing while shopping.

Canada Safeway announced March 19 that it is temporarily reducing store hours to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. so there would be more time for staff to restock shelves, complete necessary santitizing and rest.

This story will be updated if and when other Thompson stores contacted reply to inquiries from the Thompson Citizen.

For local and Manitoba news about the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as Canadian Press coverage and links to informational resources on the novel coronavirus, please visit the new COVID-19 section our website at https://www.thompsoncitizen.net/covid-19

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