From Your General Manager

Hello, Placerville Cooperators!
 
This is your Interim General Manager, Dan Arnett.  I am writing to you on behalf of the management team to ensure that everyone is reasonably well informed about the issues and adjustments at your local CO-OP as we all navigate this pandemic.
 

1. Our normal hours of operation are 9am-7pm as of Monday, April 6^th.  As the situation evolves, we are regularly re-evaluating opening and closing times, and we will post any changes near the entrance, on social media, and on our website.
2. We are open exclusively for those aged 60 and older, pregnant women, and those who are immunocompromised for an additional hour from 8am-9am daily.  If you fall into one of the mentioned categories, please utilize the 8-9 hour if you wish.  For others, we appreciate your helping us to remain exclusive to those most vulnerable to COVID-19 for that period.
3. We have placed a moratorium on any containers brought from home, including reusable shopping bags.  While we are committed to reducing waste, we only allow new containers or grocery bags from our in-house stock to be used for the duration of this pandemic.  
4. We are pre-packaging several items in bulk.  If an item is not expected to be cooked at high temperatures, we are safely packing the items for your convenience.
5. We are allowing freshly cleaned scoops to be used once for bulk goods and then we rewash and sanitize them. The clean scoops are clearly marked, and the used scoops have a marked bus tub as well for you to utilize.
6. We have shut down our bulk water service for the time being.  We cannot say with confidence that it poses a significant risk, but we are erring on the side of caution.  Thank you for understanding.
7. We have shut down salad bar service during the pandemic.  We still offer many expertly prepared deli items and hope you give them a try if you have not done so already.  Also, we are still operating the hot food case with packaged freshly prepared items.
8. We are offering curbside pickup on Tuesdays and Thursdays only beginning April 7^th.  Please use the designated email address pfccurbside@gmail.com to place your order.  We will call you to get payment card information subsequent to receiving your order.  We are only accepting pre-payment for curbside pickup and reserve the right to limit order size if we cannot reasonably accommodate it.  That said, we have not had any issues to date, so please utilize this service if you feel it is in your family’s interest.
9. We installed plexiglass shields at registers 1 and 3 a week ago.  While they do not provide absolute protection against potential transmission, we believe they offer enhanced protection for our staff and customers. 
10. We are not using register 2 at this time to allow for easier social distancing.  Previously, all customers were funneled into one large center lane, and we have since only utilized the outermost lanes. 
11. We installed a hand washing and sanitizing station near our entrance in March.  Please use this station as needed.
12. Staff has increased the frequency of cleaning and sanitizing throughout the business.  This includes extra attention to the regular cleaning and sanitizing of our shopping baskets.  We are also utilizing gloves and other devices where appropriate.  I can say with confidence that the co-op staff is doing an incredible job in adapting to the current environment and am proud to serve with such diligent, responsible, positive people. 
13. We are requiring facial coverings for all staff until the pandemic crisis subsides.  Federal agencies have advised that coverings will help prevent transmission of the coronavirus.  In order to best protect the staff who are performing an essential community function and to protect each and every customer, we have implemented this protocol.  Some of our members have even aided us by procuring and even manufacturing coverings for us! Thank you to everyone who has helped the CO-OP by providing this personal protective equipment!
14. We are experiencing disruptions in our supply chain as are all retailers.  We are working hard to mitigate these issues and have had some success in procuring paper goods and basic pantry items.  We may limit purchasing on some good from time to time in order to provide as many families with needed supplies as possible.  One such limit we have in effect for the foreseeable future is a 12-roll toilet paper limit per customer.  This can be in the form of one 12-pack or 12 single rolls, for example.  As there are changes to any necessary restrictions, we will inform you as soon as possible.  While there have been and will likely be further outages for a while, our team is working innovatively to provide access to goods in this community.  We appreciate your understanding while we work diligently to stock the things you want and need and get those distributed into our coop community efficiently and fairly.

 
In closing, I have two items.  First, I thank you for your continued support of the Placerville Food Co-op.  Every shopping basket helps us to continue to provide service and we appreciate the business.  When you buy local and regional goods or those from some of our small and medium producers, you are helping sustain the livelihood of others who, like all of us, are working to get through this crisis so we can get back to normal once we are past it.  I hope you try out some new ingredients during the shelter in place order, and that fair trade, local, and cooperative goods are part of that exploration.  My second item is to simply thank you for helping us all stay safe as the pandemic evolves.  I am proud to say that this community has been very supportive of our staff efforts and most everyone is displaying the behaviors that will get us through this together.  Thank you!!!
 
In cooperation,
Dan Arnett

What You Can Do To Help Our Community Stay Healthy

• Thoroughly wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before coming into the store.

• Respect social distancing policies while in the store and stay 6 feet away from other customers and staff.

• Avoid touching your face while in the store.

• Avoid touching products and putting them back on the shelf. 

• Use a debit or credit card instead of checks or cash.

• Stay home if you feel unwell.  Wear masks and/or face coverings as recommended by the CDC while shopping in the store.

Thank you for taking steps to help keep our community healthy and thriving!

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