Dear Harmony Co-op Owners and Shoppers,
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as Harmony works hard to adapt to ever-evolving needs and necessary changes while meeting the challenge of 2020’s Covid-19 pandemic. Everyone’s health and safety are our top priorities while working to stock Harmony’s shelves with the grocery products you need. Please know our cooperative approach is working – there are food and supplies arriving regularly! There is even a rhythm beginning to develop and our muscles becoming stretched to do familiar jobs in new ways.
In light of our current situation, I want to share the things our co-op is doing to best serve you, care for our staff, and be a responsible member of our community:
We have asked any staff exhibiting symptoms of such an infection to stay home and notify their physician.
We have sanitizing wipes and/or (as supplies are available) hand sanitizer available at the entrance for you to wipe down your shopping cart. We have also installed several sanitizing wipe and/or hand sanitizing stations throughout the store for your use. Please utilize these particularly in areas of multiple use such as Bulk. Our staff is actively sanitizing touch points hourly throughout the store throughout the day including multiple bathroom cleanings daily.
Food grade gloves are provided throughout the store for added precaution if desired by customers and/or staff.
Our deli management team is ServeSafe (advanced food safety training) trained and excellent food safety standards are maintaining the co-op kitchen. Gloves are worn by all deli staff at all times.
We have suspended all demos in the store.
We have installed Plexiglass at all cashier location to provide better protection at close transaction points.
We are asking that physical distancing 6 feet between you and others while standing nearby others be practiced throughout the store by customers and staff. Please follow the green tape at the tills that indicate wait in line points.
Another key point to aid in physical distancing would be to utilize a single shopper approach when you come into the store to shop (if you are unable to shop singly please disregard this bullet point). This practice allows more households to shop in the store at a time and still honor physical distancing of 6ft.
We are experiencing increased out of stocks from our distributors. It is likely that this will continue. It is possible that we will have missed deliveries due to the increased demand for staple items during this time. We are working hard to keep the co-op stocked.
The Harmony Grocery Buddy Program has been serving customers daily and we encourage you to take advantage of that program if you identify as “highly vulnerable” to COVID-19 or may be exhibiting symptoms and are staying home. If you do not have a buddy that will pick up your groceries, we can bring your purchase out to your car or Harmony has a list of volunteers that may be able to deliver to your home.
There has never been a time that has required us to use our owner/customer/staff cooperative muscles to their fullest capacity as right now. Know your Harmony Team is committed to you and will do our very best to get you what you need in a healthy and safe way. Your continued understanding, patience, and cooperative support will make this effort successful…as always…We are Stronger Together!
Stronger Together,
Colleen Bakken, Harmony Foods Co-op General Manager
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