Meeting the surging demand
GAA clubs helping get the goods out to the vulnerable
ONLINE shopping from Garvey’s SuperValu is maxed out with the service now catering for 130 orders per week – up from the 25 per week of normal times.
The rising demand sees the Listowel supermarket employing four members of staff full-time to piece the orders together amid a myriad of other painstaking details, helping it keep the community supplied and minimise the risk from COVID for customers and staff.
And local GAA clubs are helping Listowel’s longest-established large supermarket get the orders out to the vulnerable elderly, who comprise the greatest part of the delivery side of the business.
Though supermarkets have clearly had a major boost in sales as a result of the pandemic, for SuperValu manager Paul O’Connor this extraordinary period is not about the money.
“It’s not about the money at all for us now but about all of us getting through this safely, and customers can rest assured that we are taking every precaution,” he said. “The community has been absolutely fantastic.
“With our delivery service at capacity it is difficult to get to all the homes quickly, so it is wonderful to be working now with the likes of the Emmets’ and St Senan’s GAA clubs, whose volunteers have stepped up to the plate and helped us in getting deliveries out to the elderly when it has been needed,” Paul explained.
Meanwhile those coming to collect don’t even have to interact with staff – they pull up, ring in, and their order is brought out to their boot.
When he says that every precaution is being taken in store to reduce the likelihood of virus transmission, he means it.
From the staff member at the front directing people to sanitisers and gloves while using the clicker to ensure the number of people inside the store is within safe limits, to the maintenance of social distancing inside, like many other similar outlets they are not taking any chances.
Signs are up everywhere reminding people of the need for social distancing, with strips on the ground indicating safe distances near the checkouts where staff are protected behind perspex screens.
Garvey’s is also encouraging older shoppers to come early to the store, and they suggest to healthcare worker customers to shop later in the evening when it is also quiet.
“We are prioritising them, and we even have two special checkouts set aside for the elderly and frontline workers,” Paul explained.
“All loose items for instance are now bagged, so you know no-one might have handled it before you. Take the bakery – every roll is now in a plastic bag protecting it.
“We’re managing social distancing very well here too. You still get the odd person who might forget it momentarily but, generally speaking, people are very good.
“Social distancing is obviously as important from the staff point of view too, and we are very strict about it. We use the phone to communicate a lot, even if we’re only 30 yards from each other. That’s why if I was to come down sick I would be confident I wouldn’t have passed it on to any colleagues,” Paul said.
The Taoiseach’s speech flagging the school closures sparked a wave of panic buying in Garvey’s as elsewhere.
“The panic buying lasted for four to five days afterwards but things have settled a lot since then and shopping is back at a normal rate.
“It took a while to replenish some of the dry goods that were bought in big quantities, like pasta and rice.
On the flip side, we’ve had no issues with fresh food.”
He credits his staff with keeping the supply lines open as they effectively become frontline workers too in the fight against COVID, braving the workplace each day to make sure no one goes needy.
“I’m very proud of them,” he said.
“It hasn’t been easy on them either with the many changes we have had to introduce to ensure safety in the supermarket, but they have all stepped up to the plate and been very accommodating.”