Dear Fiesta Community,

As you’ve likely noticed if you’ve been in the store lately, we’re doing everything in our power to run as usual, but implementing new precautions as best practices emerge.

We, like you, are reacting to policy announcements and the needs of the community as they come across the wires.

We’ll do our best to share a daily update with information about our stock, staff, and safety practices.

Until we’re told otherwise, we see ourselves as essential service providers. And in many ways, it’s business as usual. We’re stocking shelves, pointing people at products, and serving swell customers. At times, checkout lines are long, so feel free to shop at atypical times.

Here are some current status updates. If there are significant changes, we’ll let you know here and through our social networks.

Stock

We ramped up order volumes weeks ago and are still asking suppliers to multiply our orders. Many of them can respond and have. Others need to spread their supply evenly across their customers.

The goal isn’t to set people up to hoard, it’s to maintain steady supply.

Due to panic, toilet paper is hard to come by, but not because there’s a shortage. Canada has lots of trees and paper mills. There will be more toilet paper. At some point.

We have plenty of produce. We have most of everything.

We can’t commit to staying on top of special requests made by phone so if you’re after something specific, please feel free to ask a manager.

Staff

Many of our considerate customers have sent us notes through the form on the website and have asked in person about measures we’re taking to protect staff.

• Staff are using gloves at their discretion. Some feel reassured doing so, and others feel that bare hands offer a visible reminder to clean them between activities.
• All surfaces are wiped down between orders.
• If anyone feels at all sick, they’re told not to come to work. Energy should be reserved for keeping immune systems healthy.
• We’re doing our best to maintain distance.
• Cashiers are free to call head cashier if they feel uncomfortable with a customer’s condition, no questions asked.
• Back doors and work carts are being wiped down.

Safety

Beyond our standard safety protocols, we’re:

• We’re regularly spraying down buggies.
• Our cleaning crew is circulating, spraying and wiping down all surfaces and common areas.

Smiles

We often comment on the character of our customers. Regulars never hesitate to complain when they’d like something to be different–they feel like it’s their store :). People bump carts in the aisles. Some grumble, some start conversations. There can be colourful language in the parking lot. And the cycle repeats itself over and over.

But it’s worth mentioning that at this moment when all limits are stretched, people are seriously coming together. There’s so much uncertainty about what to do and how to do it well. And anxiety about how long we’ll have to do it for and how it will affect us. Not to mention concern about how many people will be adversely affected if we don’t manage the spread of this virus at a pace that our healthcare system can handle.

Please remember that we’re all in this together. We, and our friends and families all face similar uncertainly. Being kind to each other takes a bit of the edge off. Let’s keep doing it.

See you in the aisles.

Fiesta Farms