The following is an abbreviated version of a document prepared for Shop staff and volunteers outlining some policies and procedures regarding the shop’s operation during the Covid-19 outbreak. It is being posted here to provide the community with an understanding of the steps being taken to keep the Shop operating safely and in a way that best serves the requirements of the community during this difficult period.

Specific instructions on the Shop’s home delivery/collection service will follow soon. Day-to-day updates on the operation of the shop will be provided on the Shop Facebook page at facebook.com/hambledonvillageshop/ and on the village web site when appropriate.

Hambledon Village Shop – Coronavirus Response

The Shop performs a vital service and is a lifeline for many residents so our top priority is to keep it open.

The safety of our customers, volunteers and professional staff is paramount and whilst it is not possible to predict what’s going to happen in the coming weeks and months, we believe that we should heed government advice and ‘prepare for the worst’. The worst case scenario for the Shop is that someone who presents with the virus is found to have been in the Shop and/or in contact with customers and/or staff. We will address that scenario in a moment.

Phase 1 – Before the Worst Case Scenario

We will do our best to keep the Shop, Deli-Café and Post Office operating normally as long as it is safe to do so and we have the staff available. 

Basic Precautions

We will ask staff and customers to take all necessary hand-washing precautions before entering the Shop, we may ask customers to wear gloves, that we provide before entering the Shop and handling products and encourage them to adopt safe social-distancing practices. We will not allow the shop to become too crowded and politely ask customers to wait outside if the shop starts to get busy. We can provide seating for those who find standing uncomfortable. If necessary, we can implement a queuing system but we are confident that this will not be needed if people remain calm and polite. Once we are able to get supplies of hand-sanitiser, it will be provided at the entry to the Shop. We will ask all customers and suppliers to use it before entering the premises.

Protective gloves will be available for Till Operators. All surfaces are being regularly sanitized.

Deli-Café

The Deli-Café will operate according to the comprehensive and stringent procedures implemented by the Shop Management Team (SMT) on 16th March. Volunteers should seek training on the new procedures from the SMT member(s) that they work alongside.

If it is no longer viable to offer a Deli-Café service because of staff shortages or lack of demand, or if the government mandate the closure of eateries, we will close the Deli-Café and redeploy staff in other areas of the Shop.

In the event that staffing the Deli-Café becomes unviable we hope to be able to give a short amount of notice to customers and staff before closing the Deli-Café.

Post Office

We will do our best to operate normal Post Office hours but this is already proving difficult. We recommend that customers phone the Shop on 01428 682176 to check that the Post Office is open before setting off from home. 

We will make a larger stock of postage stamps available to sell through the Shop along with the pamphlet that tells customers how much postage they need for a given letter. At times, we may not be able to provide an ATM service from the Post Office but customers can still get up to £50 cashback at the till.

Home Delivery or Collection From the Shop Door

We will do our best to provide a delivery service to people who need to self-isolate. The details of how the service will operate are being worked out along with a list of volunteers and roster.

For those customers who are able to get to the Shop but prefer not to go inside, we will offer a Personal Shopper service to meet customers at the door, collect their shopping list, pick their shopping for them, put it through the till, bag it up and present them with the receipt for payment. 

We encourage people who are already shopping for neighbors and nearby family to expand their circle.

Should a lock-down of the Shop be required, for the following 72-hour period we will not be able to provide home deliveries or collection from the Shop.

Staffing

Some staff are already self-isolating and we expect this number to grow fairly rapidly so we will be looking for more volunteers. We’re hoping that villagers who find themselves working from home or with time on their hands, will be able to help. We’ll be advertising for people to step forward and get trained as Till Operators, Personal Shoppers and Delivery team members for the duration of the crisis. Anyone wishing to offer their time can, please email [email protected].

Stock

We are keeping a careful watch on stock levels and doing our best to keep the shop well-stocked. We are paying particular attention to stocks of basic ingredients such as milk, eggs, fruit and veg, cereals, grains, pasta, canned and bottled goods, long-life milk, long-life bread products and frozen food. The deli and chilled range is challenging because once we go into ‘lock down’, there is the potential for a lot of waste. Customers may start to see a reduction in choice in both the Deli-Café and the chilled food range such as smoked salmon, charcuterie, salad pots, chilled soup etc. as we attempt to manage stock levels against a fluctuating demand. 

At this stage we are not implementing rationing but the Shop reserves the right to limit purchases of essential goods and may limit purchases to 4 of the same product. 

Phase 2 – Worst Case Scenario

In the worst case scenario, we will immediately lock down the Shop, suspend home deliveries for a minimum of 72 hours and follow the government guidelines outlined in “COVID-19: cleaning in non-healthcare settings” (see www.gov.uk) to deep clean the shop. We have ordered supplies of protective coveralls, gloves and masks to be worn during the cleaning process. We have volunteers willing to perform the deep clean but in the event that they are infectious, we will put out a request for help. If no-one steps forward, the Shop will remain closed until, on the basis of government advice, it is considered safe to re-enter.

During this time, we will also collect all Shop keys from key holders to restrict entry to the Shop.

At some point, the level of infection amongst the general population may reach the point where it is not possible to run the Shop as we do at the moment, allowing people to wander around freely touching shelves and products. In that event, we will adopt the Personal Shopper model described above and continue to provide Home Deliveries if we are able.

Communication & Collaboration

The contents of this document, or a summary of it, will be disseminated to Shop staff (Volunteer and Professional), Customers and the wider community via emails, the village website, the Parish Magazine, flyers in the Shop and social media.

We are working with the Parish Council and leaders of other Village organisations to best co-ordinate our efforts to support villagers. The Parish Council is in the process of establishing WhatsApp groups to facilitate communication between organisations and to provide a process for members of the community to offer help or ask for help. The role of the Village Shop and those who work and volunteer there will be integral to the functioning of these groups. Professional Staff , Volunteers and other members of the community may be contacted directly about their participation, or can offer to become part of these groups by sending a text message to 07543 437322.