Our Co-op’s Commitment to Preventing the Spread of COVID-19
July 1, 2021
A Message From the Co-op’s General Manager
Dear Co-op Member-Owners and shoppers,
On March 13th, 2020, I wrote my very first message to you, our Co-op community, about an impending and little-understood virus that was about to overtake all our lives.
“It is often the case, in difficult times, that community grocery stores are a vital resource to the people they serve. The recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in our region proves that this continues to be true. In recent days, you have come to us to stock your pantry, replenish cleaning supplies, and prepare alongside others in the community. As a grocery store, our Co-op is in the unique position of offering essential services for our community while also doing all we can to minimize risk to our staff, Member-Owners, and shoppers.”
Many other messages followed over the months as we continued to learn and adopt best practices. We enacted strict sanitizing protocols, eliminated self-serve food, installed barriers, enforced social distancing, instituted customers caps, and required masks. We provided hundreds of hours of quarantine compensation for our staff, including twelve days of shut down when we felt there was a concern of community transmission. Through all of this, you stood by us. You waited in long lines, you respected all our requests, and you wore your masks.
Now that our staff is fully vaccinated and the cases of COVID in Maine are dropping significantly, it is time for us to adapt again. On Thursday, July 1st, 2021 we will no longer require masks to shop at the Co-op. While we ask that unvaccinated shoppers continue to wear masks, we acknowledge that we have no way to enforce this and have no plans to do so.
I want to express my sincere and heartfelt thank you to all of you, our Co-op community, for supporting us through all the past year’s difficulties. By enacting more robust protocols than other businesses and holding the mask requirement longer than most, it grew harder to shop with us. You stood by us. Our sales are strong and growing. We are purchasing more local products than ever before and, with your support, continue to be a driving force in the local foods’ economy. Be on the lookout for more news soon. We plan to open the store earlier, bring back coffee service, and re-open our community seating area.
The next time you come in, please be sure to thank the staff members you encounter. None of them signed up to be essential workers during a global pandemic, yet through all the difficulties and fears the past year posed, they kept coming to work every day to make sure that our Co-op not only survived but also thrived.
In Cooperation,
John Crane
General Manager
June 21, 2021
Reusable shopping bags are welcome back into the Co-op!
We kindly ask for you to bag your own reusable bags during check-out.
Starting July 1st, the Maine single-use bag fee is back in effect. 5¢ will be charged per paper bag with handles.
We are now accepting back deposit bottles and jars!
Return Limit: 6 per customer, per day
Bulk containers are welcome back for bulk dry or liquid goods
Please sanitize your containers or jars prior to your visit.
Limit: 6 per customer, per day
May 22, 2021
Masks are still required at the Co-op
Dear Co-op Member-Owners and shoppers,
On Monday, May 24th, the State of Maine is relaxing the mask mandate and is no longer requiring vaccinated individuals to wear masks in public spaces. Despite this recent change in State policy, the Portland Food Co-op will continue to require masks for all shoppers, as well as for all vendors and staff. We will also continue to enforce social distancing and our other COVID related policies.
Our COVID policies have always been guided by a sincere concern for our staff. Since the beginning of the pandemic, when everyone was being encouraged to stay home, hunker down, and isolate, our Co-op staff has been coming to work every day and putting themselves in the very vulnerable position of daily public exposure.
Currently, many of our staff are still in the process of receiving their vaccinations. Once I can confirm that all our staff have received their vaccinations and are beyond the two-week window, which ensures best immunity, we will revisit this. Please know that we all want to transition out of this as soon as possible.
So, for the time being, please continue to wear your mask when shopping at the Co-op and respect social distancing. We aren’t quite ready to welcome back reusable containers but please know that is a priority for us and will be happening soon.
If you feel the need to express any concerns about this, please contact me directly. Don’t come into the store and engage our staff. They have already experienced too much confrontation over the past year. Save those conversations for me. Please just wear your mask and thank them for coming to work every day and keeping our Co-op open, thriving, and fulfilling our mission to be an economic engine for the local foods’ economy.
We will get through this together.
In Cooperation.
John Crane
General Manager
January 18, 2021
We’re Back Open (Again)!
After a second unexpected closing due to COVID-19 to kick off 2021, we are excited to reopen and welcome you all back to the Co-op on Tuesday, January 19 for our regular hours (9-10am Reserved for immune compromised, disabled, & elderly shoppers; 10am-8pm Open to the general public).
We have followed the recommendations and guidance from the CDC and other public health officials on how to reopen safely. The Co-op has once again been cleaned and all staff members were required to receive negative results from a PCR COVID-19 test before returning to work. The Co-op has compensated employees for any testing costs, as well as any missed hours.
As we continue to operate during this pandemic, the Co-op prioritizes the safety of our staff and community members above all else. We are continuing to implement the safety procedures we have maintained for the past several months, and will continue to adapt to any new recommendations. Here’s an overview of our current procedures:
Masks are required to enter and shop
Your mask must be worn properly over your nose and mouth the entire time you are in the Co-op. Face shields are not an acceptable replacement for a mask. If you are not able to wear a mask while shopping, then we invite you to make use of our Co-op Curbside service and/or Substitute Shopper Program.
Hand sanitization is required for entry
Our staff must see you sanitize your hands. We unfortunately cannot take your word that you sanitized in your car or before coming inside. If using sanitizer causes hardship for you, we will show you to our bathroom so you can wash your hands, or we can provide you with single-use gloves. Please note that only single-use gloves are permitted. Winter gloves cannot be properly sanitized, and we ask that remove them before shopping.
Reusable containers brought from home are not permitted
We have compostable bags available free of charge, and plastic and glass containers available for purchase. If you arrive at checkout with personal containers, our staff has the right to refuse to handle your containers.
Bag your own groceries if you have brought shopping bags from home
You are welcome to bring your personal shopping bags in the Co-op, but please do not ask our staff to handle them. Our staff is more than happy to bag groceries for you in either our paper bags or boxes.
Follow the one-way arrows throughout the store
Moving throughout the store in one-direction helps us all with our efforts to maintain appropriate social distancing. This also helps our staff move quickly and freely throughout the store while maintaining social distancing to the best of their ability.
In addition to these requirements that we ask of you, the Co-op also does the following:
Sanitizes every cart and basket after each use
Sanitizes high touch points (door handles, keypads, bulk jars & bins, etc.) and employee work areas multiple times throughout the day
Limits the number of customers inside to allow for adequate social distancing
Provides socially distanced break spaces for employees
Complies with the hazard pay ordinance and compensates all qualified employees at the hazard rate
We also invite you to make use of our Co-op Curbside service which is available to all Member-Owners, or our Substitute Shopper Program which is available to everyone. There is no additional fee to use either of these options.
This has been an incredibly difficult start to the year for us, but our community has made it possible for us to handle these distressing events. Your compassion, concern, and dedication to our mission to grow a healthier community and a more sustainable food system is what allows us to open our doors at all.
Thank you all so much for your continued support of our Co-op, and we look forward to seeing you soon!
January 11, 2021
The Co-op Will Be Closed Through Sunday, January 17
As many of you are already aware, last week one of our staff members tested positive for COVID-19. We closed the Co-op, had all staff tested, and sanitized our store before reopening. Unfortunately, on Sunday, January 10 we learned that another staff member has tested positive for COVID-19.
In response, the Co-op will be closed through Sunday, January 17. Co-op Curbside will also be shut down while we are closed.
During this time, we are requiring all staff members to receive PCR COVID-19 tests before returning to work. These are tests are the most accurate available, and are able to detect the virus within days of infection, even among those who have no symptoms. The Co-op will be covering the costs of these COVID-19 tests for all employees, as well as paying our staff for any missed hours. Additionally, we will also be thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing the store again.
The Co-op will not reopen until we are completely confident that we are a safe space to shop.
This is a challenging start to 2021 for us, but we are rising to meet it. Our ability to do so is made possible by the immense amount of compassion and concern you have shown us throughout the past several months. Thank you all for your continued support of our Co-op, our staff, and our community. We look forward to reopening and continuing to serve you all soon
January 7, 2021
We’re Back Open!
After a strenuous start to 2021 when we received news that a Co-op employee tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, the Co-op is thrilled to announce that we are reopening! We will be open to the public on Thursday, January 7 from 1-8pm. Our regular hours will resume on Friday (9-10am Reserved for immune compromised, disabled, & elderly shoppers; 10am-8pm Open to the general public).
Many of you have expressed concern for our staff, both in regard to their return to work and for any hardship this closure may have caused them. We have followed the recommendations and guidance from the CDC and other public health officials on how to reopen safely. The Co-op has been thoroughly and rigorously cleaned over the past few days. All staff that potentially had contact with the COVID-19 positive employee were required to receive negative test results before returning. The Co-op has also covered the costs of these COVID-19 tests for all employees, as well as paid our staff for any missed hours.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Co-op has maintained some of the strictest (and let’s all admit it—inconvenient and even annoying) safety procedures in our area. We have done this because we passionately believe in prioritizing the safety of our staff and community members over anything else. We believe this is how we have gotten through the past 10 months without an employee testing positive for COVID-19. We will continue to implement these procedures and adapt to any new recommendations. Here’s an overview of our current procedures:
Masks are required to enter and shop
Your mask must be worn properly over your nose and mouth the entire time you are in the Co-op.
Hand sanitization is required for entry
Our staff must see you sanitize your hands. We unfortunately cannot take your word that you sanitized in your car or before coming inside. If using sanitizer causes hardship for you, we will show you to our bathroom so you can wash your hands, or we can provide you with single-use gloves. Please note that only single-use gloves are permitted. Winter gloves cannot be properly sanitized, and we ask that remove them before shopping.
Reusable containers brought from home are not permitted
We have compostable bags available free of charge, and plastic and glass containers available for purchase. If you arrive at checkout with personal containers, our staff has the right to refuse to handle your containers.
Bag your own groceries if you have brought shopping bags from home
You are welcome to bring your personal shopping bags in the Co-op, but please do not ask our staff to handle them. Our staff is more than happy to bag groceries for you in either our paper bags or boxes.
Follow the one-way arrows throughout the store
Moving throughout the store in one-direction helps us all with our efforts to maintain appropriate social distancing. This also helps our staff move quickly and freely throughout the store while maintaining social distancing to the best of their ability.
In addition to these requirements that we ask of you, the Co-op also does the following:
Sanitizes every cart and basket after each use
Sanitizes high touch points (door handles, keypads, bulk jars & bins, etc.) and employee work areas multiple times throughout the day
Limits the number of customers inside to allow for adequate social distancing
Provides socially distanced break spaces for employees
Complies with the hazard pay ordinance and compensates all qualified employees at the hazard rate
If you still feel uncomfortable shopping in-store despite our best efforts to create a safe environment, then we invite you to make use of our Co-op Curbside service which is available to all Member-Owners, or our Substitute Shopper Program which is available to everyone. There is no additional fee to use either of these options.
Thank you all for your continued support of our Co-op. We have been truly blown away by the outpouring of compassion and concern you have shown us this past year, and especially within the past few days. It is an honor for us to serve you as a cornerstone of our local food economy in Portland and we are grateful every day that you choose to uplift us, one another, and our mission to grow a healthier community and a more sustainable food system.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
January 3, 2021
An Update from The Co-op’s General Manager
In the spirit of complete honesty and transparency, I want to let all of you, our membership and community, know that one of the Co-op's staff members recently tested positive for COVID-19. Therefore, I am closing the Co-op from Sunday through Tuesday this week so that I can arrange for all staff to be tested and for the Co-op to be thoroughly sanitized.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Co-op has maintained some of the strictest (and let us all admit it, inconvenient and even annoying) safety protocols in our area. We have done this because we passionately believe in prioritizing the safety of our staff and you, our community members, over anything else. I believe that this is how we have gotten this far into the pandemic without an issue.
I will handle this situation with the same commitment to safety. When we re-open, it will be with a staff who have all tested negative and we will continue with the same protocols that have gotten us safely to this point.
Thank you all for your continued support of our Co-op. Our Co-op is strong and compassionate, and I have no doubt that we will get through this together.
Please feel free to email me directly, gm@portlandfood.coop, with any questions, thoughts, or concerns.
In Solidarity,
John Crane
General Manager
July 25, 2020
An Update from The Co-op’s General Manager
For the past several weeks, people have been asking me, “How has the Co-op been doing?” That is such a big question. I have yet to come up with a truly articulate and informative answer, but I find that I keep returning to the word “resilience.”
Resilience (noun) 1. The capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused by especially compressive stress. 2. An ability to recover from or adjust to misfortune or change.
Through all that has happened since March, when the COVID-19 virus first began affecting our daily lives, our Co-op has demonstrated an astounding amount of resilience. Our staff, Board, Member-Owners, vendors, and customers have all exhibited such a capacity to cope, adapt, and persevere. We’ve had to adjust and re-adjust many times. Our Co-op’s hours were drastically limited. We spent eight weeks under a state-mandated five-customer cap that formed long lines outside our doors and drastically reduced our income. We eliminated reusable bags, reusable containers, and various other practices that had been at the heart of our mission for environmental sustainability. We closed our deli’s popular self-serve soup and hot lunch stations, as well as grab-and-go coffee and tea. We are now paying staff to continually sanitize our carts, baskets, and all other touch points around the Co-op and to monitor and enforce safe practices on our sales floor.
All our Member-Owners and customers have been wonderful about adapting to these changes. We continue to receive compliments about how proactive and assertive we are with our safety and sanitizing practices, and we appreciate your kind words immensely.
We have learned much about operating a safe and supportive community food co-op during a pandemic. This is allowing us to rescind some of our earlier restrictions. I am thrilled to announce the following changes, effective Sunday, July 26.
The Co-op will begin opening an hour earlier at 9 a.m.!
We have worked with our distributors to get our morning deliveries earlier so that we can get pallets unloaded and off the sales floor earlier. The first hour, 9 -10 a.m., will remain reserved for our elderly, disabled, and immunocompromised customers. We will be open to the general public from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Reusable shopping bags are welcome back into the Co-op!
We just ask that you bag your own groceries so that our staff does not need to touch any reusable bags.
We are now accepting back deposit bottles and jars!
We just ask for a limit of six per customer, per day. This limit is so our space and our farms are not overwhelmed by stockpiled jars all at once. We will have crates outside, labeled by farm, where you can drop those off. You will then fill out a return slip with the count of what you returned. Please wash and sanitize all bottles and jars.
Customers will return to entering and exiting through our main vestibule.
Our back offices are small, so we need to use our former café space for a socially distanced staff work and break area.
We will continue to have a Co-op Ambassador in the vestibule to monitor and direct traffic flow
Getting back to that question, “How is the Co-op doing?” We have an abundance of resilience. COVID-19 is not just a temporary event. It will be with us for a long time to come and will likely have lasting effects on our economy and our society. We will continue to cope, adapt, adjust, and thrive. I continue to be extremely proud of this cooperative business that we have built.
I want to express my heartfelt thank you to our staff, Board, our Member-Owners, and all of you who shop at the Co-op. We will make it through this together.
In cooperation.
John Crane
General Manager
May 31, 2020
A Message from the Co-op’s General Manager
Beginning on Monday, June 1, the Portland Food Co-op will be open to the public from 11 A.M. - 8 P.M. The hour of 10 A.M. - 11 A.M. will remain reserved for immune compromised, disabled, and elderly shoppers. These hours will apply seven days a week.
I would like to extend a huge thank you to all our Member-Owners and customers who have supported us during these trying times. Our lines have often been long, and you have all been so patient about that. We hope that extending our hours back closer to normal, will help to alleviate this. Rest assured that we will still be maintaining our intensive sanitizing practices. All carts and baskets get sanitized after each use. All handles and other common touch points get sanitized multiple times per day. We are still requiring hand sanitizing or hand washing before anyone begins to shop. We are also still limited, by state mandate, to five customers at a time in the Co-op.
We all long for the days when things will return to normal, but that is unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future. We are therefore dedicated to making our Co-op more accessible while also maintaining the practices that keep us all safe. To that end, unfortunately, we are still not able to allow reusable bags or containers into the Co-op. You may, however, put your items back in your shopping cart and transfer them to your own bags outside.
The next time that you are in, would you please say thank you to our incredible staff. None of them ever thought that they would be front-line workers during a global pandemic, but for the past two and a half months, they have been coming to work every day making sure that our Co-op was safe and available for everyone in our community.
April 1, 2020
A Message From the Co-op’s General Manager
Yesterday, our Governor issued a statewide "Stay at Home" order. It goes into effect this Thursday. In case you have not yet seen it, you can read the full executive order here. It has implications for our Co-op, so I wanted to share those.
As a food store, our Co-op is considered an essential business and will continue to stay open. There are now, however, strict limits on the number of customers who can be in the store at the same time. Because we are under 7,500 square feet (FYI our retail space is a little under 4,000 square feet) we are only allowed to have five customers at a time in the store. We must also monitor safe social distancing.
We are committed to providing healthy local food to as many in our community as possible, so we are making the following asks:
Please shop alone. Two people shopping together means that another person must wait outside.
Please shop for as many days in advance as possible. Shop big and limit your trips.
Please come with a list so that you can shop as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Bring a jacket, as you may need to wait outside for a bit.
We are also making a couple in-store changes which we believe will help with traffic flow.
We are putting down arrows on the floor so that all traffic in each aisle moves in the same direction.
Everyone will enter through our normal entrance, but everyone will exit through our cafe door.
Limiting our Co-op to five customers at a time makes sense. People will be able to shop and maintain six feet of distance between themselves and others. This will also be safer for our staff.
For this to work and to keep long lines from building, we just need everyone to respect our requests to shop alone, shop for many days, and shop quickly and efficiently.
Thank you so much for all the support and kindness that you have shown our Co-op and staff. We will get through this together.
In Cooperation,
John Crane
General Manager
March 26, 2020
A Message From the Co-op’s General Manager
I need to begin this message with huge, heart-felt thank-you to all the staff of the Portland Food Co-op. We have a truly amazing team. While most businesses in Portland are shutting down and people are staying at home, our Co-op is considered a necessary community service. People need access to good food. This means our staff continues to come to work every day and encounter hundreds of people. They are willing to do this because they know you need us to be here. I feel so honored to work with a group of such kind, caring, committed, and talented individuals.
While we are committed to staying open and providing our community with the best local and organic food as possible, we need to follow the guidance from the CDC to not only protect our staff, but to also protect all of you who come in here to shop.
In order to do that, as of Monday, March 30, we need to enact the following changes.
New Hours of Operation
10 A.M. – 11 A.M. – RESERVED for immune compromised, disabled, and elderly shoppers
11 A.M. – 2 P.M. – OPEN to the general public
2 P.M. – 3 P.M. – CLOSED for sanitization and restocking
3 P.M. – 6 P.M. – OPEN to the general public
These hour changes are meant to protect our staff. They will be stocking, cleaning, and sanitizing the store during our closed hours. They will then work in the back of house during opening hours.
In what feels like a very odd, but necessary move for our staff’s protection, we have also just installed large plexi-glass plates at our cash registers to separate our front-end staff from customers. Our front-end staff are the most vulnerable, as they directly encounter hundreds of people per day, and we need to ensure their safety. We are continuing to cycle front-end staff off every half hour so that no one has extended time in that position.
We Are No Longer Offering Cash Back
Paper and coin money can transfer viruses. Using them also requires our staff to have physical contact with customers, which is something we need to prevent. We will continue to accept cash payments if it is the only method of payment that you have available to you. Please don’t use cash if you have other payment options available.
Bring Nothing into the Co-op
This goes against our ethos, but these are extraordinary times. Prohibiting outside bags and other containers helps to ensure the sanitization of our space.
Please do not bring in any reusable shopping bags (this one really hurts). We have an abundance of free boxes and paper bags.
Please do not bring in any containers from home to use in our bulk department. We have free paper bags available as well as plastic and glass containers available for purchase for bulk liquids.
We cannot take back any product returns, dairy bottles with deposits, egg cartons, or other returnables. As soon as this crisis is over, we will gladly again accept returns.
We are committed to maintaining safe social space within our store, as well as a shopping experience with minimal stress. You can help us do so by following these guidelines.
Shopping Guidelines to Help Us Stay Open to the Public
Please limit shopping to once a week, or even less frequently if possible. We know that many of you are used to making several trips per week to the Co-op. While we typically love seeing you regularly, please change your shopping habits for the foreseeable future.
Please maintain a distance of two carts apart from other shoppers and staff as often as possible.
Please plan to shop alone whenever possible. I know some couples like to shop together, but please refrain from this.
Please come prepared with a shopping list to minimize the time you spend browsing.
Please don’t touch any products unless you plan on purchasing them.
Please refrain from socializing with staff or other people that you know. Please take those conversations out into the parking lot.
If you are coming for specific items that are frequently out of stock (bread, toilet paper, frozen fruits and vegetables, fresh chicken, etc.) we encourage you to call the Co-op (207-805-1599) ahead of time to ask if we have them available.
Please regularly use the hand sanitizer stations we have at multiple points around the Co-op. Please also consider visiting our rest rooms and thoroughly washing your hands before beginning to shop.
Please wait to put your groceries on the checkout counter until the customer in front of you has finished checking out.
Please don’t let any of these measures deter you from shopping at the Co-op. We are here for you! Our mission is to provide our community with the best and most nutritious food as possible. We will continue to do that. This is more important now than ever. Many of our local farmers and food producers have lost their restaurant accounts and are relying on us for continued income. We have brought on many more local producers to help in that effort. Your commitment to local purchasing keeps our local food economy alive and has a direct impact on the people who provide to us.
We are also committed to keeping all our staff employed, safe, and cared for. For me, this is not just a professional responsibility but a personal commitment.
Please keep shopping with us, but respect all the guidelines that we need to put in place. We will get through this together.
In Cooperation,
John Crane
General Manager
March 17, 2020
A Message From the Co-op’s General Manager
Over the past week, I have gotten to meet more of you than I probably have for the past year. This past week’s sales were double that of an average week. Our two busiest days ever were last Friday and Saturday. We have had many hours where register lines reached the back of the store. We ran out of so many items and had more bare shelves than I have ever seen here. Our staff has been working double time to keep the store as stocked, orderly, and as clean as possible.
Through all of this, I been continually amazed at how kind and understanding all our Member-Owners and shoppers have been. Even after waiting in lines a half hour long, and only getting some of the things on the list, people were still in good spirits. During my shifts at the cash registers, I heard so many times, “Thank you for being here,” and “Thank you for all that you are doing.”
Our aim is to continue being here for our community during these difficult times. In order to do this, however, we need to enact some further protocols to ensure the safety of our staff and you. These are described in detail below. We are continually trying to identify common touch points that should be eliminated temporarily. For our staff, who can encounter hundreds of people per day while doing their job, we are trying to reduce their public exposure as well. We hope that you will be understanding.
Thank you for all your support.
John Crane
General Manager
Beginning Wednesday, March 18, we will be implementing new hours at the Co-op. Our schedule is as follows:
9 A.M. – 10 A.M. – RESERVED for immune compromised, disabled, and elderly shoppers
10 A.M. – 1 P.M. – OPEN to the general public
1 P.M. – 2 P.M. – CLOSED for sanitization and restocking
2 P.M. – 6 P.M. – OPEN to the general public
We ask that you please respect these hours, especially the reserved shopping hour of 9 A.M. – 10 A.M. We are committed to providing the safest possible shopping experience to all, and to the most vulnerable members of our community in particular.
Please also respect our midday closed hour between 1 P.M. – 2 P.M. We will be using this hour to thoroughly sanitize the store and to restock shelves. Respecting this break will allow us to offer you the best shopping experience we are able.
We’d also like to ask that you please avoid gathering at our entrance and waiting for us to open. This creates a surge immediately upon opening forcing people to have closer interactions with one another and creates a more chaotic experience.
If you would like to continue to bring your own bags from home, please be prepared to bag your own groceries. If possible, please sanitize your bags regularly at home.
Here’s some other ways you help us maintain a calm, orderly, and sanitary shopping experience for our entire community:
If you are sick, please have a family member, friend, or neighbor shop for you. Please don’t come into the Co-op if you are sick.
If possible, please sanitize your hands before coming to the Co-op.
If possible, please visit our restrooms and wash your hands before beginning to shop.
Please take advantage of any sanitizing stations that we have available.
Please don’t ask to shake hands with any staff member.
Please respect staff members’ personal space, especially if you need to cough or sneeze. Please cough or sneeze into your sleeve, or better yet into a tissue that you dispose of outside of the Co-op.
While we will continue to accept cash as payment at the registers, please consider using a card whenever possible. This eliminates direct contact.
Here are some additional changes we have made to protect staff and shoppers:
We are no longer allowing the use of any reusable containers in our bulk department.
Our café space is closed to the public. This includes our water refill station.
We are no longer offering self-serve hot food from our deli. This includes hot soup, our hot bar, and hot coffee and tea.
We are no longer accepting special orders.
We are no longer placing items on hold for customers.
We are frequently sanitizing of all high-touch locations like payment machines, scales, bathroom areas, refrigerated and freezer doors, bulk bin handles and utensils, carts, and hand-baskets with a 70% isopropyl alcohol or bleach solution.
We recently contracted with a company to install hand sanitizing stations at multiple points around the Co-op. You will see these within the week.
We have discontinued all food samplings until we feel it is safe to resume them.
We have discontinued all classes until we feel it is safe to resume them.
We have asked any staff members exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness or fever to stay home and notify their physician. Our co-op has a generous paid time off policy, and we are working with employees on a case-by-case basis to ensure they have the support they need. We have also enacted a policy that if any staff member does contract COVID-19, we will give them an additional two weeks of paid time off so that they can stay home and care for themselves.
Thank you for supporting the Co-op and each other. We will continue to monitor this situation and keep you informed of the decisions we make to provide the safest and best possible shopping experience for you.
March 13, 2020
Dear Portland Food Co-op Member-Owners and Shoppers,
It is often the case, in difficult times, that community grocery stores are a vital resource to the people they serve. The recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in our region is proving that this continues to be true.
You have come to us in recent days to stock your pantry, replenish cleaning supplies, and prepare alongside others in the community. As a grocery store, our co-op is in the unique position of offering essential services for our community while also doing all we can to minimize risk to our staff, Member-Owners, and shoppers.
Considering the situation our region finds itself in, 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:
While the Portland Food Coo-op has had no reported COVID-19 infections within our Co-op staff, we have asked any staff members exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness or fever to stay home and notify their physician. Our co-op has a generous paid time off policy, and we are working with employees on a case-by-case basis to ensure they have the support they need. We have also enacted a policy that if any staff member does contract COVID-19, we will give them an additional two weeks of paid time off so that they can stay home and care for themselves.
Our Co-op prides itself on its cleanliness and food safety standards and has rigorous health and safety guidelines. Following guidance from the CDC and other agencies, we have implemented even more rigorous cleaning practices throughout all our departments. This includes frequently sanitizing of all high-touch locations like payment machines, scales, bathroom areas, refrigerated and freezer doors, bulk bin handles and utensils, carts, and hand-baskets.
We recently contracted with a company to install hand sanitizing stations at multiple points around the Co-op. You will see these within the next week.
We have discontinued all food samplings until we feel it is safe to resume them.
We have discontinued all classes until we feel it is safe to resume them.
Our deli is temporarily stopping the offering of reusable cups, bowls, and flatware. We are switching to single-use compostable products only.
Throughout all of this, we are making additional efforts to demonstrate our gratitude to our staff who continue to work each day with commitment, compassion, and kindness to ensure our store is stocked, clean, and ready to serve you. Our staff encounter hundreds of people per day, so I am asking all of you to respect some guidelines we are putting in place to protect them:
If you are sick, please have a family member, friend, or neighbor shop for you. Please don’t come into the Co-op if you are sick.
If possible, please sanitize your hands before coming to the Co-op.
If possible, please visit our restrooms and wash your hands before beginning to shop.
Please take advantage of any sanitizing stations that we have available.
Please don’t ask to shake hands with any staff member.
Please respect staff members’ personal space, especially if you need to cough or sneeze. Please cough or sneeze into your sleeve, or better yet into a tissue that you dispose of outside of the Co-op.
While we will continue to accept cash as payment at the registers, please consider using a card whenever possible. This eliminates direct contact.
I anticipate that guidance from federal, state and local agencies may change rapidly over the coming days and weeks. I will continue to monitor this closely and be nimble in adjusting our operations to prioritize the health and safety of you and our staff.
I know you have many choices when it comes to where to purchase groceries. Thank you for choosing our Co-op and for being an integral part of our community. We will get through this together.
Sincerely,
John Crane
General Manager