Last week a local resident wrote to me concerned about the external queuing system at the Waitrose in Coulsdon.
An area that had been cordoned off to allow for the queue is taking up a large portion of the path. Due of the width of the pavement this (and the A frames advertising the shop) could be preventing pedestrians from maintaining the required 2 metre distance from each other if they are passing the queue of customers.
It potentially also makes it harder for those with mobility issues, including those in wheelchairs or disability scooters, from navigating the pavement.
I contacted Waitrose HQ to ask them if they might be able to look into the arrangement with our local shop and see if an alternative formulation might enable customers to queue safely whilst simultaneously keeping the public highway as clear as possible, suggesting that moving the plant shelves near the entrance might be a helpful alteration.
This evening I received the following helpful reply:
We are running the shop in a different way to ensure we keep our customers and our Partners (staff) as safe as possible during the pandemic. This includes a number of Covid safety procedures which wouldn't normally be in place, for example, a capacity on customers in the shop, a marshal on the door to count customers in and out and advise them of our procedures, and floor markers to remind customers to keep a safe distance from each other. When the shop reaches capacity, we have to form a socially distanced queue outside. We put the barriers in place in December to try and limit the spread of the queue on to the pavement by guiding customers into a neat and orderly line. We have one queue for people who are waiting to shop and a queue for people who are collecting orders they placed online to help keep the queues to a minimum.
This is the first instance where concerns about our system have been raised but Shaun [Coulsdon branch manager] has absolutely taken them on board and has agreed to keep the system under constant review, this will include considering if the A frames can be positioned closer to the entrance of the shop. We want to do all we can to be a good neighbour and to ensure our measures don't restrict general use of the pavement.
I'm pleased that they were so receptive to the concerns of my resident, and know that they are undoubtedly trying their best to manage customers to their shop during what is an incredibly challenging time for local businesses.
Thank you to Shaun, those staff serving our community in the Coulsdon Waitrose and Waitrose HQ for their support on this matter.
Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash
