Canada Reopening of stores: calmly, customers are there

Toronto COVID-19 lockdown will have 'major impact' on residents and businesses, says councillor

Toronto and Peel Region will enter the province’s Lockdown level effective Monday, Nov. 23, Premier Doug Ford announced on Friday afternoon. It means restaurants, bars, and other food and drink establishments will only be able to provide takeout. Indoor dining and patio dining has been prohibited. Personal care services such as barbershops and salons will be closed. Casinos, bingo halls, and other gaming establishments will be closed. Indoor sports and recreational facilities will be closed.

That has meant being there for our customers as they depend on our products in new ways: to stay learning as classrooms closed, to stay And it meant taking the unprecedented step to close nearly all of our Retail stores worldwide to protect the health and well‑ being of our customers and teams.

Stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders are being lifted in some states and extended in others as the coronavirus pandemic continues to upend life. Here’s the latest on where states stand in their plans to reopen .

© PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP The so-called non-essential shops were once again allowed to open their doors on Saturday morning. Very good news for traders, four weeks before Christmas. But while customers are back, footfall is nowhere near the usual December.

The announcements by Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday evening were greeted by traders with great relief. On Saturday, at the 4 Temps shopping center in La Défense, one of the busiest in France, customers in a hurry found products available for direct sale. Among them, Gabriel, a young man tired of being confined to his home: "There are a lot of non-essential products that you need even a little bit, if only to take care of yourself at home. came to buy decorative items to feel good at home ", he tells Europe 1.

New sanitary protocol: traders fear queues in the cold

The new rules that will apply in stores when they can reopen impose a reduced number of customers inside. Traders fear painful waiting times outside for their customers. © Provided by Franceinfo "Each time, new standards are imposed on us", regrets Esperanza, in her Zig et Puce store, filled with colorful toys but emptied of its customers, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. The manager apprehends the imminent reopening of all the stores with a new protocol.

As businesses begin to reopen in Palm Beach County, the Boca Town Center Mall has joined in.

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A" zen and serene "opening

In a next door, a mother looks at Christmas toys with her daughter. And as soon as one customer leaves the store, another enters immediately. "Like any self-respecting trader, we know what the month of December represents . It is important to have been able to reopen in the most serene and zen way possible", explains Gérald, responsible for the trade.

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15% fewer customers

Indeed, traders must respect the rule of 8 square meters per customer. But according to Thibault Desmidt, director of the 4 Temps shopping center, this gauge does not prevent attendance: "We are very happy with the attendance since Saturday morning. There are people, but we manage to manage it. People are well disciplined and respect the distances in the queues. And we find a smile on the faces of our traders, "he adds.

However, there were 15% fewer customers compared to a typical Saturday in December, but "it's a reassuring start" according to Thibault Desmidt, after a month of closure.