We asked how Whatcom grocers are doing amid coronavirus limits. Here’s what you said
As Washington state edges closer to a phased lifting of restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the new coronavirus, many Whatcom County residents have adapted to new ways of going about their lives amid the pandemic.
That’s especially true for shopping — a task that might have been taken for granted barely two months ago, but now requires preparation beyond simple meal planning.
“I’m paying more overall for my groceries and spending less time shopping,” Michele Rogan of Bellingham told The Bellingham Herald in a social media post.
Most stores have new hours, have taken bolder measures to protect customers and employees, and have set limits on the amount of certain high-demand items that customers can buy.
If those items are available at all.
Stops at five markets in Bellingham around midday last week found no yeast, scant supplies of flour, a few stores with toilet paper, one with hand sanitizer and none with disinfectant cleaners.
Even limits on pork, beef and chicken purchases at stores like Fred Meyer were seen last week as meat-packing plants around the nation have been hit with closures because of employee illness.
Those steps were taken in an attempt to discourage hoarding as shoppers feared long-term shortages or more restrictive lockdowns if the pandemic worsens.
Personal shopper Susan Park, who lives east of Ferndale, said the list of scarce items seems to vary.
“I’ve seen a definite rise and fall of certain trends over the last two months,” Park told The Herald in an email. “Dried beans and rice and canned beans were all sold out in the beginning. There was one weekend where all the S’mores fixings seemed to be sold out around town! Things I still have trouble finding for people the most are rubbing alcohol, liquid hand soap (hit or miss), spray disinfectant, disinfectant wipes, flour, and yeast.”
Shoppers’ fears
Each day seems to bring a new set of worries.
Many shoppers said they fear catching COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, particularly at a supermarket.
Many have switched to online shopping and using home-delivery or store-pickup services to limit physical contact.
Those who do go to stores mostly follow social-distancing guidelines, wear protective masks and take other precautions, according to observations, interviews and dozens of social media exchanges with The Herald last week.
“I’ve been wearing a mask to shop before it was recommended because I work with seniors and did not want to take a chance of getting a client sick,” Rogan wrote at the Grocery Store Status Bellingham page on Facebook. “I usually don’t wear gloves to shop, but I have hand sanitizer in my car at all times.”
Hilary Parker of Sudden Valley told The Herald that she visited Costco in Bellingham last week, as the big-box store began to require its patrons to wear masks.
“Despite Costco’s requirement for masks, I saw several folks without masks once inside and shopping,” Parker wrote in an email. “I had to bite my tongue not to give these people a talking-to. My experience just illustrates this ‘mask-no mask’ divide that seems to be brewing in our state and other places. I did feel safe enough shopping at Costco, but I was still distressed to see people flagrantly disregarding the rules.”
How we’re shopping
Stopping at a supermarket for a single item now seems unthinkable for many.
Still, Google tracking of mobile phone data shows that Whatcom County residents are moving around more than they were in early April, just after statewide social-distancing orders closed many businesses.
And many local residents have lots to say about the social distancing practices of the stores that remained open and the behavior of their customers.
A set of questions on The Herald’s page on Facebook drew nearly 200 responses in 24 hours.
Readers told us how and where they shop, stores where they felt safe because of new social-distancing practices, and stores where lack of social distancing or protective measures left them feeling uncomfortable.
Lou Kirkendall of Ferndale told The Herald that she’s been taking advantage of stores such as Haggen that reserve hours for older shoppers and those with conditions such as asthma or diabetes that put them at higher risk for COVID-19.
“My husband and I are going out once a week, trying for once every two weeks, and only one stop per outing,” Kirkendall wrote on Facebook. “We wear masks, have latex gloves and sanitizing spray.”
High marks for Haggen
Mary Ann Skrabala was among several readers who said that they appreciate Haggen stores because employees wear masks, shopping carts are disinfected after use, aisles are marked for one-way traffic, and checkout lines are marked for social distancing.
“I’ve been to the Barkley Haggens twice,” Skrabala wrote on Facebook. “Once in April and once last week. They were well stocked with everything. I went early in the morning and there were not many people there so keeping a distance was easy. All employees were wearing masks and they had plastic shields up at the register. They also had the credit card machine covered in plastic and had a bottle of hand sanitizer at the checkout counter.”
Haggen, Safeway, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and the Community Food Co-op were among the stores singled out for praise.
They were disinfecting carts, limiting the number of shoppers, and had carriers between customers and checkout clerks. Stores such as Whole Foods and the Co-op provided gloves or masks to customers.
Sara Osborne, director of external affairs for Safeway and Albertsons stores’ Seattle Division, said the company, which also owns Haggen, is grateful for its employees’ “dedication and commitment during this unprecedented time. We are also deeply appreciative of customers who take effort to protect each other and our associates by complying with our social distancing guidelines and wearing cloth masks while shopping.”
Haggen checkout clerk Erika Boisvert used The Herald’s page on Facebook to thank shoppers for noticing her colleagues’ efforts.
“We understand this is a scary time, and we appreciate everyone’s kindness,” Boisvert wrote. “A simple ‘thank you’ goes a long way for us these days.”
Mixed reviews for Fred Meyer
Stores such as Fred Meyer and Walmart, however, drew a mixture of praise and criticism from shoppers.
“Overall I’d say Fred Meyer is by far the worst,” said Park, who works for the online site Dumpling. “I keep thinking about taking it off the list of places I will shop at for people.
“The biggest problems are how crowded it usually is and how narrow the aisles are,” Park said. “They haven’t made the aisles one way (like Haggen and Safeway have), which is the obvious solution but probably hard to enforce. It is just impossible to keep even 2 feet away from people without trying really hard and even then other shoppers will invade your space.”
A Fred Meyer corporate official wrote in an email to The Herald that the supermarket is following guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in addition to taking several other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We have implemented a number of measures to help ensure the safety of our customers and associates, including limiting customer capacity,” wrote Jeffery Temple, director of corporate affairs.
“We have set a limit of five customers per 1,000 square feet in all of our stores. We use an electronic system to monitor customer counts at all times, called Que Vision, which provides extremely accurate real-time counts. This technology allows us to manage capacity and use associates to help customers, clean, and stock product instead of counting customers,” Temple wrote.
And Bellingham Fred Meyer employee Sarah Dues Hauri said workers are trying their best.
“We are required to wear a face mask at all times and also have our temperature taken before our shift,” she wrote on Facebook. “And all grocery carts and baskets are wiped down after use.”
Recent observations showed that all employees were wearing masks and shopping carts were being disinfected.
Most customers were wearing masks and social distancing was easy early in the morning but difficult just after noon as the store grew more crowded.
Many customers seemed aware of social distancing guidelines and others ignored them.
“Fred Meyer felt like normal shopping,” said Erin Connolly of Bellingham. “People squeezing by close in aisles, workers being forced to get close to people because they are on a timeline to gather orders for Click List (shopping service), most people not wearing face masks. It felt weird that what would typically be a normal grocery shopping experience was so anxiety-producing.”
Bellingham resident Laura Covelli had a different opinion about Fred Meyer, however.
“There have been empty shelves for certain products like flour, but I don’t let it get to me,” Covelli wrote.
“It is what it is. I understand the store is doing their best ... and everyone appears to be social distancing, many wearing masks (and) most of us are trying.”
Isolation in Point Roberts
Perhaps the toughest place to shop for Whatcom County residents is Point Roberts, a spit of America that’s separated from the mainland U.S. by the waters of Boundary Bay and accessible only by boat or by making two border crossings — crossings that are restricted to essential travel.
“Here in Point Roberts, Washington state, we have one grocery store. Yes, one,” wrote Susan Borget.
“They have displayed signs all over the store that items are limited,” she wrote on Facebook. “Indeed, they are! One package of toilet paper on the shelf today. Oh, and limited one per customer.”
She hopes that the crisis would prompt the state to start a ferry from the mainland.
“I am so over this!” Borget wrote. “I miss shopping in Ferndale and Bellingham. We can’t go there till they open the border.”
