Supermarkets oppose stricter restriction – even larger queues can form

“I think this week is a critical turning point, if we see that it has not had an impact, it is likely that certain areas need to be more strictly regulated, where there are massive human confrontations. We see that there is a large concentration of people in shopping and entertainment centers, and if they do not take measures in the coming days to guarantee the security requirements, the regulation of the flow, the decisions will have to be made there ”, said S. Skvernelis to journalists at the Seimas on Tuesday.

“It has been clearly said that we will monitor the situation this week, and if it does not change, the government is determined to make decisions on restrictions on supermarket chains, as has been done in Latvia,” Mrsga said.

Supermarket representatives have circulated statements saying they have taken exceptional security measures and are not in favor of stricter restrictions or reductions in working hours. It is believed that if working hours were limited, only longer queues would form, people might have to wait outside.

Shorter working hours – higher traffic

According to traders, the number of visitors to supermarkets has been roughly halved compared to the pre-pandemic period, with a drop in turnover of up to 60% for individual categories of goods and services. Center managers ensure that additional security measures are in place to create a safe environment for visitors.

It is stated that today most shopping centers can only be entered through the entrances provided for this purpose and only if there is enough space inside, at least 10 square meters per visitor. How Many People Can Be Inside – Remember the standardized stickers on individual store doors, and vendors and security guards monitor flows. They also monitor the movement of buyers in the intended directions and remind pickers not to do so. The staff also makes sure that visitors do not consume any drinks or food they bring.

Although visitors who do not wear masks are hardly available in supermarkets anymore, security guards can offer free masks to everyone. Different centers wash common areas, stairs, handrails, door handles, stair and escalator handrails, seat backs, supports, ATM buttons, and other commonly touched areas with sanitizer every hour or two.

The separate centers are equipped with ultraviolet lamps that constantly disinfect the armrests of escalators and travelers. A system that cleans the air in the elevators should be operational by early December. Safety measures are constantly recalled on the radio from the centers: they are encouraged to keep their distance, sanitize their hands, plan their purchases in advance, and thus not remain on the premises.

In addition to all these measures, supermarkets have Class 7 air filters, which are used in hospitals and airports, they disinfect staff rooms and all bathrooms with certified lamps.

“Supermarkets were carefully preparing for the second after the first wave of the pandemic. Today, we have uninterrupted disinfection processes by various means, the most powerful ventilation systems, and voluntarily a number of visitors even more limited than required. by the Government. Through preparation and investment, the company has obtained the maximum security measures available today. In our opinion, any consideration of shortening the opening hours of supermarkets would only mean an even greater concentration of visitors at the moment when it is possible to buy. And there are no grounds for restrictions according to the current security measures, “says Mindaugas Statulevičius, president of the Lithuanian Real Estate Development Association.

Rūta Vainienė, director of the Lithuanian Trade Companies Association, says the most worrying thing is that a fairly large flow of buyers, around 40 percent, will be redistributed to other times or other business places in case of restriction. Due to the regulation of flows, there will be queues, you may have to wait outside; in current weather conditions, it is not the safest option. If buyers’ desire to buy doesn’t diminish, they should think in the opposite direction: how to make their flow spread over a longer period of time and over a larger area.

According to her, so far, the commercial business associations have not come to the knowledge to confirm at least one case of infection of visitors in commercial places.

So far, only employees are infected: After receiving confirmation that the store employee is ill, the store premises are closed and professionally disinfected with air droplets. Work is resumed only after the safety of employees and visitors is checked.
To further protect visitors, more security guards are on duty during peak hours and on weekends to ensure all security requirements are met.

Promises greater protection during the holidays

Newsec notes that its supermarkets (Vilnius Ozas, Kaunas Akropolis and Vilnius BIG) obtained international certificates of compliance with COVID-19 safety requirements in August of this year. This certificate, developed in response to the World Health Organization Guidelines for the Prevention of COVID-19, confirms that supermarkets comply with all mandatory preventive measures to ensure the highest possible safety for visitors, tenants and employees.

“The visitor flow has not returned to the previous level after the first quarantine, and since the introduction of the second quarantine we have seen an even greater drop; in some facilities, the flows have decreased by more than half. It is important to emphasize that it is the larger non-residential supermarkets in so-called ‘neighborhoods’ that have felt the strongest impact from the pandemic, many people choose to shop online or in smaller stores to minimize contacts, “says Rida Kalvaitienė, Newsec Property. Head of the Management Services Group in the Baltic States.

In addition to the significant decrease in the number of visitors, R. Kalvaitienė notes that customers often go to the supermarket with clear objectives and pre-planned purchases; This is demonstrated by the increasing value of the basket when the customer visits more stores during one visit. Residents try to leave home less often, shop with determination and spend as little time as possible in stores, do not visit family members, do not spend free time at the mall, especially when restaurants, movie theaters and entertainment are closed.

According to R. Kalvaitienė, currently in supermarkets all the instructions and recommendations of the National Center for Public Health are followed, approximately one square meter per technical visitor, excluding technical and auxiliary premises. m in area: this is several times more than the recommended 10 square km. m norm. Additionally, supermarkets have been actively investing in entertainment and leisure spaces for the past few years, stopping all public events and now keeping them free, allowing even greater distances between shoppers.

The specialist also points out that supermarkets publicly provide information on when there is the least flow of buyers so that residents can choose the best time to visit. Despite the drop in overall supermarket traffic, the high number of visitors is a challenge for grocery stores more than clothing, footwear, or cosmetic retailers. Therefore, supermarkets are trying to actively cooperate with tenants to strengthen security.

“The company takes the initiative to supervise the tenants, although the law does not oblige it to do so, the tenant is responsible for complying with the security requirements in their facilities. During this period, each violation can have a very significant impact on all companies and on all individually, so it is considered to complement the agreements with the tenants with some more requirements and, if necessary, impose sanctions for infractions of the internal procedures of the center, ”says Newsec Head of Asset Management Services in the Baltics. .

According to her, there is no need to worry about the upcoming Christmas shopping period, as supermarkets are intensively preparing in advance: the number of security guards who will monitor the order will increase as the main holidays of the year approach. Medium-sized supermarkets have 10 or more entrances, each of which can be monitored as needed to regulate flows at a particular point in time, measure temperature, and ensure that all visitors wear proper face protection. and disinfect your hands.

With the help of smart technologies, supermarkets have always monitored the flow of visitors, so even now they can calculate and control how many people will enter the premises in real time. These solutions are especially relevant for this festive period, when crowds of people tend to flock to supermarkets, so this year it will be possible to react to the situation in real time and limit the number of visitors in specific areas of the supermarket.

“In the event of the closure of large shopping centers, tenants, visitors and employees will continue to be victims. State support is particularly important today for supermarket companies, and Christmas sales are an essential way for some to survive. Therefore, the decisions that are made today must be weighed well and worked to find the best solutions together, both for supermarkets and for the government. “Newsec invites both companies and residents to show solidarity and to observe the situation of the pandemic in the country in a responsible way and to spend a beautiful vacation together,” says R. Kalvaitienė.