Pandemic life and the retail world

 October 2020~

📷by SkyBoivin 

The year 2020 has been a rough and wild roller coaster right out of the gates, that is for certain. From the panic in hoarding toilet paper, to the need of precious ppe. These days as the months have grown past us, we have made it to the last quarter of the year. Now, we come into shortages of many things. Things such as lysol disinfectant sprays have been nearly non-existent from the beginning as it fell under the precious ppe category. Families in desperate need of such things struggle to find other ways to keep their young children with immunity definiacies safe on a daily basis. Families such of children with disabilities such as acardi syndrome and more. 

Now, with the beginning of the school year and many being taught from home with remote learning now, many things are wiped off from the shelves that may have normally just sat there idle and alone. One such item this school year are the dry- erase white boards. 

Other things, such as the ink for the printers have been barely there or non-existent as well. Now retailers being told by manufacturers that replenished products might take as long as until April for new stock to finally arrive.

Disinfectant wipes, along with printers and the ink to go with them, all fly off the shelves as soon as they become unloaded from the truck that has arrived just moments before. Limited quantities per shopper is a constant and daily struggle.

With the new stay at home orders this year and many working from home, printers for the new home office is a necessity than a luxury. Many printers being sent in to the stores do not have the needed ink to go along with them to continue their use in their new office spaces. Consumers now need to seek out direct from the manufacturer or buy a new machine. 

Then there are the small businesses. Lockdowns and stay at home orders make for new and innovative ways to sell to consumers while staying afloat. Struggles to not only pay employees but to pay rent of their building space as well. Now with some states beginning their slow reopening among the still high numbers of cases each day, many beloved places have decided to close their doors until the end of this pandemic, or even possibly, forever. 

Those businesses that still remain open, have reduced hours dramatically, leaving employees struggling to make their own ends meet where many were already struggling well before this even happened. 

Retail workers struggle with orders of mandatory face masks or protective gear. Making sure that customers abide by this as well is a daily struggle as well. Many have been welcoming in keeping to such orders, but there are some who feel a need to fight over it. 

Others feel the need to fight the poor workers that have no choice but to remind customers of such an ordinance. 

Everyone globally is struggling on a daily basis to get through this pandemic. Just remember the next time you head out, that you are not the only one having the never ending bad year. 

-just random thoughts and observations-