Hello fellow geeks,
We hope you are all doing well and that you and your loved ones are keeping safe now that the government guidelines have been adjusted and more relaxed in recent weeks. As you have probably seen in the news, most retail shops will be reopening from Monday 15th June 2020 - including us! We have missed you all so much an can't wait to see everyone.
However, we have to ensure the safety of everyone in store - both staff and customers - and the government has required us to take certain measures to make sure we can legally reopen to the public. As you may have seen on our social media we have already started to put new procedures in place to ensure it is safe for everyone after carrying out a risk assessment in store (see below).
What Does The Law Say?
"The Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974 applies to all workplaces. It requires employers to take reasonable steps to ensure the health and safety of employees whilst at work and others who may be affected by what they do; this includes members of the public and visitors. COVID 19 is a risk to health that must be managed by the employer, in order to comply with the law.
Before reopening you should ensure the safety of your premises by:
Carrying out a COVID-19 risk assessment
Developing cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures for staff and customers
Helping members of staff work from home, where possible
Maintaining 2m social distancing between staff and customers, where possible
Where people cannot be 2m apart, manage the transmission risk."
Risk Assessment
With this in mind, we wanted to inform you of the proactive steps we have taken as part of our risk assessment to ensure safety to customers and staff in our store.
Who is at risk?
Shop staff and shopping centre staff
Visitors and customers
Delivery drivers and postal workers
Steps we have taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19
Any one displaying symptoms of COVID-19 must not enter our store.
Windows and doors will be kept open to encourage ventilation.
We have invested in a screen guard for the counter to help to protect both our staff and customers.
We have bought face masks for our staff to wear while at work. We also ask that customers do the same where possible.
We will be washing our hands on arrival and when leaving the store. We will also be regularly washing and sanitising our hands after each sale.
We ask that customer do not to wear gloves in store as this can spread the virus more freely and puts ourselves and other customers at risk.
We will be asking all customers to sanitise their hands before entering the store - this will be available at the counter on arrival. This ensures that you can browse our items safely if everyone does their bit!
Social distancing must be adhered to by everyone. A minimum distance of 2m (6ft) must be kept between all customers whilst in our store. We have added floor tape, which should help people with social distancing, that also doubles as a one way system around the store. This will ensure people are able to social distance properly and do not cross other customers paths. People breaking social distancing rules may be asked to leave the store and may be reported to security/police to ensure safety of others.
We will be reducing the number of people allowed in store at any one time.
You can shop 24/7 online on our website! A perfect alternative for those affected, unable to due to self-isolating or don't feel like they can make the step to go shopping just yet via shopping online via our website. Click here to shop. Click and collect also available on our website.
Live chat and social media inboxes are always open to discuss your needs and answer any questions you have about products.
Contactless payments are available in store. We are even able to split payments higher than £30 into multiple transactions to avoid unnecessary contact.
We clean the payment terminals and our hands after each sale for extra protection and peace of mind.
As space is very limited in store at the moment due to moving furniture to allow for a new one way system, we are unable to admit prams, buggies or wheelchairs at this time. Please plan ahead and make alternative arrangements if you need to visit our store. We can however serve you at the door or answer any questions you may have. Click and collect is also available. Click here to shop.
We are kindly asking that people do not loiter around the till area. We understand that people would like to come and say hello and have a chat like usual, but this clogs up our one way system for other customers.
Following government guidelines, we are asking only one person enters the store at a time if possible.
People with children are reminded that they are responsible for them at all times and must make sure they adhere to social distancing at all times.
We have made a short video to show you what changes we have made and what to expect when visiting our store. Obviously this is very different to what we're all used to, so thought we'd give you a bit of a heads up!
Please let us know if you have any concerns while in store or before making a visit and we will do everything we can to help and accommodate your needs.
There has never been a more important time to support your small, independent businesses during this time of crisis and mad panic. We have never seen the high streets this quiet in all of our time trading and a lot of us are starting to worry that our little shops may not survive until this all blows over.
We understand that people may not want to venture out just yet, but there are still ways you can help support your small independents if you are unable to get out due to self-isolating or other reasons during this time:
Like, share and comment on social media posts to ensure they are still being seen.
Shop online - click here for our online shop.
Recommend to friends and family, or tag them in items you think they'd like.
Vote for your favourite independent shop in Skipton here - we do hope it's us!
Read, comment on and share blog posts.
Sign up to their newsletters.
Share photos of the items you have purchased, tagging the business.
Leave reviews on social media, Google and Trip Advisor.
See you soon!
Much love,
Team Geek x