Hardware Store COVID 19 (3-24-20)

Hardware Store COVID 19 (3-24-20)

Store isn't so commonplace anymore...things have changed...life has changed.

Kq2's kilee thomas is live on the south belt for us tonight... hi jodie, i'm here at westlake ace hardware where as you can see behind me...the store implenting barriers to keep social distance between staffers and customers...one of many steps businesses are taking to ensure safety.

While essential businesses can still operate with the city's shelter-in-place ordinance as usual.

"what we're trying to do is make it as easy as possible for our customers to get their medications while maintaining the social distancing."

6 feet apart.

That's the recommended distance between any two people it's a challenge businesses say has required some procedural reworking "as much as possible, we are trying to do just drop off delivery, but at the same time a lot of the time we have to have signatures for a lot of our medication.

We still have our lobby open.

If things get stricter, we might go to having a closed lobby.

Just trying our best to get everyone their meds still."

Restaurants aren't the only businesses offering curbside pickup and delivery.pharmacy's are now bringing prescriptions to youtrying to limit the traffic in their lobby."we've been ramping up our deliveries probably at least threefold even though we were already booked ahead of time anyway."

Local hardware stores are barricading themselves from customers a creative solution store managers say allows them to still serve their customers while following social distance guidelines "it's awfully difficult in that a lot of what we do is face to face and that type of stuff but we're trying to be mindful of keeping some distance when we can."

Store staff say customers have been very mindful of keeping a safe distance other and fellow staffers...mindfulness is very appreciated.

Reporting live from westlake ace hardware,