Giant Eagle is installing clear Plexigas dividers at all of its checkout and customer service areas in an attempt to protect employees and customers from the spread of covid-19.
The dividers will be installed at Giant Eagle groceries, pharmacies and GetGo stores.
The company began installing the dividers over the weekend and hopes to have all of them in place by the end of the week, spokesman Dan Donovan said.
Edgewood Giant Eagle cashiers Lenise Bailey and Aisha Mariner work to sanitize a checkout Tuesday morning at the store. Plexiglass shields have been installed to help prevent spread of coronavirus at Giant Eagles throughout the region.
Story: https://t.co/dhCFnV3RQZ pic.twitter.com/xVlWRlfddU— Tom Davidson (@TribDavidson) March 24, 2020
In addition to the dividers, the O’Hara-based grocery store chain is adding floor indicators and signs to checkout lanes that indicate proper social distancing guidelines and is asking guests not to bring reusable bags into its stores.
“These are just a few examples of the steps we are taking to safeguard the health and wellbeing of both our team members and guests,” Donovan said.
Giant Eagle said it made the decision to temporarily discontinue allowing reusable bags out of an abundance of caution. As of Monday, all purchases will be bagged in either single-use plastic bags or paper bags, both of which will be available at no charge, the company said.
The company will temporarily halt its fuelperks+ promotion to discourage reusable bag use.
The grocery store chain has more than 400 stores throughout Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.
Dividers already were installed Monday at the Giant Eagle store on Cedar Avenue in Pittsburgh’s North Side.
Some customers said the Plexiglas made them feel safer.
Cathy Craig, 59, was at the store to stock up on what she considered essentials: toilet paper, paper towels, prescriptions and Diet Coke.
“I don’t know when they put (the dividers) into place, but I think it’s great,” said Craig, who lives in Downtown Pittsburgh. “Every little bit helps.”
Customer James Perry said he didn’t know how effective the dividers might be at limiting the spread of covid-19, but he considered them a good precautionary measure.
“It does put some distance, at least from germs, I’m sure,” said Perry, 28, of Pittsburgh’s Mexican War Streets. “I think it’s more beneficial for the cashier, if anything.”
The company said it also has increased its sanitization efforts and is hiring people solely for the purpose of cleaning in the supermarkets. Those hires started last week.
Donovan said those employees spend their entire shift going through a sanitization checklist, focusing on areas such as cash registers, freezer aisles, freezer handles and bathrooms.
“These team members’ sole job right now is to work through a checklist, and then when they get to the bottom of the checklist they go right back to the top and do it again,” Donovan said.
