How our malls will look different
TORONTO — Consumers should get ready for a new world of retail as indoor shopping mall operators across the country prepare to reopen their doors with an abundance of COVID-19 precautions in the coming weeks.
From the staff hired to manage the flow of people to new measures that include pre-ordering items, the traditional afternoon at the mall isn’t going to look anything like it did before the pandemic.
“The worst thing you can do is confuse people,” said Jonathan Gitlin, president and chief operating officer of RioCan REIT. “People want to feel safe. They want to feel like they’re in an organized environment.”
Shopping centres in Manitoba were allowed to resume operations on May 4 under strict guidelines from local health officials, while other provinces are expected to follow with their own rules for how non-essential businesses should operate when they reopen.
Several mall operators spoke with the Canadian Press about the changes they’re rolling out:
Reduced hours: Getting shopping centres back on their feet will take significant time and effort, so expect truncated operating hours at most locations. Sal Iacono, executive vice-president of operations at Cadillac Fairview, said the company’s malls will run on shortened days which leave room for employees to review what needs improvement. Most locations will generally open a couple hours later, and close earlier than usual, to accommodate the changes.
“Retailers will have to take time to properly prepare, retrain staff and remerchandise,” he said.
Customer traffic: The goal is to closely monitor the number of shoppers inside the building to prevent overcrowding, and keep everyone moving in a steady flow that avoids unnecessary crisscrossing of people. Floor decals with directions and additional staff hired to maintain the flow of traffic will keep the movement in check. Expect malls to designate some entrances solely for coming into the building while others will be reserved exclusively as exits.
“If there’s six or seven entrances currently, three will be entrances and three exits,” Iacono said.
Food courts will operate in a reduced capacity that discourages people from gathering for long periods of time.
Masks and gloves: Some grocery stores require shoppers to wear masks, but those rules won’t apply at most malls. Instead, expect building management to stock each entrance with an abundance of hand sanitizer dispensers. “We can’t impose upon our tenants, the retailers, to insist that face masks are worn in their stores,”
Gitlin said of RioCan’s current policy. “What we’ll do is encourage people to wear masks when they enter our shopping centres. But at this point, it’s not our intention to deny entry for those who aren’t.”
Curbside pickup: While many outdoor malls began offering curbside pickup weeks ago, the more traditional malls are expected to follow closely behind. RioCan announced it’s rolling out a program it’s dubbing Curbside Collect at its properties which designates sections of the parking lot where shoppers can pull up and collect pre-ordered items.