Oregon SuperValu doubles down on safety measures

OREGON – Oregon SuperValu employees soon will have T-shirts that say “KEEP BACK: Social Distancing.”

The store, which remains open as an essential business, is taking extra measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Along with the shirts, signs are being made and gloves are being worn. Employees aren't allowed to help customers load up their reusable bags, and returns and exchanges are prohibited.

“The SuperValu warehouse is not accepting any returns,” Oregon SuperValu owner Jim Kaufman said. “It was a recommendation made to all SuperValu stores. As far as reusable bags, they’re allowed to bring them, but our employees are not allowed to touch them.”

The store is making sure to clean “very regularly,” Kaufman said, and keeping customers and employees at least 6 feet apart while they shop is a priority.

“Some customers are good with social distancing, others not so much,” Kaufman said. “Now there’s a case of COVID-19 in Ogle County, and we have to get serious. It’s hard, because our store is so small and sometimes aisles don’t allow for it.”

Three SuperValu employees this week told Kaufman that they no longer were comfortable coming to work for fear of catching COVID-19.

Over the past few weeks, the store hired extra employees, but is now back to a normal level. Many of the hires were college or high school students who have extra time because schools are closed.

Many larger grocery stores offer personal shopping and curbside pickup so shoppers don’t have to go inside and risk catching or spreading the virus, but his staffing level doesn’t allow that, Kaufman said.

“We have done it for some people that need it, like those at a high risk or people who have been in the testing process and can’t come in themselves, but we can’t do it for everyone.”