Dear friends,
As our community transitions into a new school year, I want to give you an update about everything that is going on at the Co-op, and offer a little insight into our on-going response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mostly, I want to let you know that we will be keeping all of our protective measures in place for as long as this pandemic lasts.
In our staff memos I have said over and over that the Co-op’s priorities are:
- To reduce the risk to our staff and customers as much as possible
- To keep all Co-op staff employed and fully compensated
- To preserve the health of the Co-op so it can continue to serve our community and employ our staff into the future.
These will remain our top priorities until the threat of the pandemic has passed. Right now it is clear that things will not go back to “normal” for at least several more months.
I want to thank everyone in our community who has been so supportive of the Co-op and our staff. Your flexibility and supportive willingness to help us adapt to changing conditions have made our jobs easier, more pleasant, and much more rewarding.
Personally, I have been awed by the courage, commitment, and compassion of our staff as they have taken on new and shifting challenges every day. I am honored to work with such excellent people.
As a reminder, our safety measures include:
- Reduced open hours—The Co-op is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
- Reduced hours give us time to thoroughly clean and sanitize the store every day. We are also better able to stock the store without crowding the aisles, giving our customers and staff more space and less close contact.
- Masks!
- All customers and staff are required to wear masks at all times in the Co-op. For any customers who is unable to wear a mask for medical reasons, we will provide a face shield. No one will be permitted to shop without a face covering. We are appreciativeof your support and compliance.
- Limited number of people in the aisles
- In order to minimize exposure, we are operating with only a small number of staff on the sales floor. We are eager to support your needs and answer your questions, but please be patient with us. Please ask any staff member you see for assistance.
- Senior and high risk shopping hours—Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday from 9-10am
Additionally, we set out to address some FAQs we’ve been hearing from y’all, which you can read through here.
So far, the Co-op and all of our staff have remained healthy, and we are very grateful for that. This has been a long haul for all of us, and the end is not yet in sight. Nevertheless, we are committed to continuing to serve Durham as best we can. We welcome your feedback and thank you for supporting the Co-op.
Leila Wolfrum
General Manager
Durham Co-op Market