As Things Reopen I am Voting With my Purse

[harllee]

In NC we are entering Phase I reopening on Friday. A few more stores can open at 50% capacity but no eat in restaurants, beauty salons, gyms, etc yet. As I decide to very cautiously to venture out I am going to send my business to those establishments that are organized and safety conscious--where masks are required, where the capacity is strictly controlled and where it is easy to maintain social distancing. Places that do not take safety into account will not get my business.

I am also going to remember those establishments that have been very helpful to me during the shut down. There are some restaurants in town where I have been getting curbside pick up that have gone over and above on safety--they will continue to get my business. Those restaurants that have seem sloppy and lackadaisical about safety are not going to get any more business from me.

One place that is not going to get any business from me--the local Whole Foods. It was on the local news that the local Whole Foods had several employees test positive for Covid-19 starting back in MARCH but they did not let the other employees or customers know anything about it --they seemed to hide it. I am not shopping at Whole Foods.

Another place that will get more business from me--AirBnB. They allowed me as a renter to cancel a reservation and gave me full refund, no questions asked. On the other hand I understand VRBO allowed the owners to keep deposits and did not require refunds to renters. No more VRBO for me.

 

[GravitySucks]

VRBO sent me an email saying while they could not force a refund, if the person did not refund down payments they would not be allowed to list properties when this is over.
There are a few places that will get more business from me as they have been giving to the community or doing a great job on keeping things safe.

 

[harllee]

VRBO sent me an email saying while they could not force a refund, if the person did not refund down payments they would not be allowed to list properties when this is over.
There are a few places that will get more business from me as they have been giving to the community or doing a great job on keeping things safe.

Thanks gravitysucks (good name!) I did not know that about VRBO. But VRBO still did not protect renters as much as Air BnB has since Air Bnb refunded all my money.

 

[RobbieB]

I'll be voting early and often.

 

[Ready]

I definitely prefer to go to the stores where everyone has to wear a mask. I’m glad Costco went that way. Trader Joe’s still does not require customers to wear them, and about 20% of the customers at my store do not.

Of course there are people protesting the stores where it is mandatory. So we may get to a point where stores pick up some non-mask wearing customers while losing some mask-only customers.

Hard to believe it’s really getting to this point.

 

[harllee]

It was similar before smoking was banned in restaurants. I did not dine in restaurants that allowed smoking. Even before it become the law most restaurants in my community banned smoking because if they did not they lost many customers.

A recent poll by Meredith College in my state found that an overwhelming majority of people wanted businesses to require all employees and customers to wear masks.

 

[audreyh1]

I just have to say people protesting against having to wear a mask to go into a store just seems dumb.

 

[harllee]

I just have to say people protesting against having to wear a mask to go into a store just seems dumb.

I think people don't want to wear a mask should just not go to the stores that require a mask. Those of us who want to wear masks should shop in stores that do require masks. If the poll I cited above is correct and most people want to shop in stores that require masks then more customers and profits will go to stores that require masks. We vote with our purses. Stores want to make money, pretty soon they will figure this out. The same thing happened with the issue of smoking in restaurants. Restaurants that allowed smoking lost a lot of customers, after a while they figured this out.

 

[travelover]

I don't carry a purse.

 

[harllee]

I don't carry a purse.

Then vote with your wallet or pocketbook or checkbook or credit card or iPhone

 

[rodi]

I definitely prefer to go to the stores where everyone has to wear a mask. I’m glad Costco went that way. Trader Joe’s still does not require customers to wear them, and about 20% of the customers at my store do not.

Of course there are people protesting the stores where it is mandatory. So we may get to a point where stores pick up some non-mask wearing customers while losing some mask-only customers.

Hard to believe it’s really getting to this point.

I thought masks were mandated everywhere in CA unless you could maintain 6' separation.... but I was wrong... apparently it is a city by city/county by county thing. San Diego county mandated masks for all employees of public facing essential businesses and all patrons. The only exception for masks in public is if you can maintain a 6' separation while walking/running/biking.

I'm very glad for the mask mandate. Our county (and state) are talking about opening more businesses this week.... in a limited fashion.

 

[harllee]

Op here --in North Carolina masks are strongly recommended but not mandated. But some stores are requiring them.

 

[fh2000]

It will be a while before LA city opens up anything. I am happy to order online for delivery. I have 4-5 stores to choose from: Costco, Amazon (Whole Foods), Walmart, and a couple of ethnic stores. I will continue to order online even after stores are open.

I am waiting for the local trailhead to open so I can go for a hike, with my mask on.

 

[RAE]

Another place that will get more business from me--AirBnB. They allowed me as a renter to cancel a reservation and gave me full refund, no questions asked. On the other hand I understand VRBO allowed the owners to keep deposits and did not require refunds to renters. No more VRBO for me.

I own a house that I rent out on AirBnB. Our policy, as the homeowner, has always been to give full refunds for cancellations within 5 days of the actual start date, no questions asked. Every AirBnB owner has the option to do that. There are some AirBnB fees that are controlled by AirBnB, not the homeowner, and AirBnB has chosen to refund those fees as well for now, which is good. But people should know that a lot of homeowners who rent their homes through AirBnB generally do give full refunds, and have done so all along. Once the COVID-19 stuff started, a lot of AirBnB homeowners chose to offer full refunds even if it was at the last minute, including us (and now AirBnB is refunding their fees as well). We understand that these are highly unusual times, and we have no desire to keep someone's deposit if they are unable to make the trip to our house for reasons beyond their control.

 

[RobbieB]

I'll just go where I want and get what I want.

I don't care about any mask policies or weather or not people are wearing them.

I've got my designer cloth mask and I wear it when I have to, not when I want to.

 

[davebarnes]

I'll be voting early and often.

The often aspect requires that you be dead.

 

[RobbieB]

It it is to be so be it. I'm sick of this crap.

 

[statsman]

It it is to be so be it. I'm sick of this crap.

I don't blame you. Wearing a mask on a 90 degree day is awful. Can't wait to wear a mask on the 100 degree days coming this summer.

OTOH, I'm quite liking the social distancing part. While not so bad here in central Texas, back in Silicon Valley it was brutal. There were people who insisted their space was their space, and your space was also their space. Anything that gets these people to back off works for me.

I also agree with the guideline if you are sick, STAY AT HOME! We didn't need COVID-19 lockdowns for this to be common sense. Don't go to a store or restaurant ill, coughing and sneezing the entire time. Wearing a mask out in public when you know you are ill is also stupid unless you are heading to a medical facility.

 

[Release The Hounds]

In NC we are entering Phase I reopening on Friday. A few more stores can open at 50% capacity but no eat in restaurants, beauty salons, gyms, etc yet. As I decide to very cautiously to venture out I am going to send my business to those establishments that are organized and safety conscious--where masks are required, where the capacity is strictly controlled and where it is easy to maintain social distancing. Places that do not take safety into account will not get my business.

I am also going to remember those establishments that have been very helpful to me during the shut down. There are some restaurants in town where I have been getting curbside pick up that have gone over and above on safety--they will continue to get my business. Those restaurants that have seem sloppy and lackadaisical about safety are not going to get any more business from me.

One place that is not going to get any business from me--the local Whole Foods. It was on the local news that the local Whole Foods had several employees test positive for Covid-19 starting back in MARCH but they did not let the other employees or customers know anything about it --they seemed to hide it. I am not shopping at Whole Foods.

Another place that will get more business from me--AirBnB. They allowed me as a renter to cancel a reservation and gave me full refund, no questions asked. On the other hand I understand VRBO allowed the owners to keep deposits and did not require refunds to renters. No more VRBO for me.

Are you in Chapel Hill?

I'm in Durham and I will continue to support Costco, Aldi, Harris Teeter and a few local restaurants who I've ordered delivery through Uber Eats, etc.

 

[audreyh1]

I don't blame you. Wearing a mask on a 90 degree day is awful. Can't wait to wear a mask on the 100 degree days coming this summer.

OTOH, I'm quite liking the social distancing part. While not so bad here in central Texas, back in Silicon Valley it was brutal. There were people who insisted their space was their space, and your space was also their space. Anything that gets these people to back off works for me.

I also agree with the guideline if you are sick, STAY AT HOME! We didn't need COVID-19 lockdowns for this to be common sense. Don't go to a store or restaurant ill, coughing and sneezing the entire time. Wearing a mask out in public when you know you are ill is also stupid unless you are heading to a medical facility.

I only wear a mask if I’m going in a building with other people in it and these are air conditioned.

Too many people running around with no symptoms - they are infected and contagious, but not actually sick, so they don’t realize that they are spreading the virus.

 

[tmm99]

I'm glad some stores like Costco are mandating masks. Those are the stores I would go to. People who don't want to wear masks can go to stores that don't require them. They will no longer be going to Costco. They can cancel their memberships. Smoking in restaurants is a good example.

 

[ohyes]

When restaurants begin opening here, we will not be visiting one of our favorites. The manager was curt when we picked up our order, while curbside has been great at other places. I have given all these pep talks to DH about not getting upset when he gets cut off in traffic, etc. because we must show extra patience and kindness during this time, etc. etc. Then, we picked up that order and I forgot all that; the dude was rude.

We will probably forgive him in a few months, but we want to make our statement. : (

But, hey, I did not leave a negative review on Trip Advisor.

We find our local WF feels the safest grocery store to shop in because the customers and employees go to such efforts to keep 6' away; they sorta waltz around each other ....plus....Our son is employed at Whole Foods in Haight Ashbury. Employees wear masks, take temperature before they can begin their shifts, etc. WF has been very good to him while he is in grad school, so we want to help prop up WF. ; >

That being said, we began using Walmart curbside pickup a few weeks ago. We intend to use that service for a long time for our more mundane grocery items.....

Whew, got all that off my chest.

 

[harllee]

I own a house that I rent out on AirBnB. Our policy, as the homeowner, has always been to give full refunds for cancellations within 5 days of the actual start date, no questions asked. Every AirBnB owner has the option to do that. There are some AirBnB fees that are controlled by AirBnB, not the homeowner, and AirBnB has chosen to refund those fees as well for now, which is good. But people should know that a lot of homeowners who rent their homes through AirBnB generally do give full refunds, and have done so all along. Once the COVID-19 stuff started, a lot of AirBnB homeowners chose to offer full refunds even if it was at the last minute, including us (and now AirBnB is refunding their fees as well). We understand that these are highly unusual times, and we have no desire to keep someone's deposit if they are unable to make the trip to our house for reasons beyond their control.

Thank you for being such a considerate Air Bnb owner. Folks like you are the reason I will continue to use Air Bnb when I finally get to travel again. The VRBO policy is much different so I will not be using them.

 

[Lewis Clark]

I also agree with the guideline if you are sick, STAY AT HOME!

I also agree. Unfortunately, many employers have rarely been understanding and push employees to go to work even when they are sick. COVID-19 appears to be changing some of this philosophy.

 

[harllee]

I don't blame you. Wearing a mask on a 90 degree day is awful. Can't wait to wear a mask on the 100 degree days coming this summer.

OTOH, I'm quite liking the social distancing part. While not so bad here in central Texas, back in Silicon Valley it was brutal. There were people who insisted their space was their space, and your space was also their space. Anything that gets these people to back off works for me.

I also agree with the guideline if you are sick, STAY AT HOME! We didn't need COVID-19 lockdowns for this to be common sense. Don't go to a store or restaurant ill, coughing and sneezing the entire time. Wearing a mask out in public when you know you are ill is also stupid unless you are heading to a medical facility.

The problem is that many many people with Covid-19 do not have symptoms and are still infectious. In Iceland they have tested a large portion of the population and found that a significant portion of the population had the virus with no symptoms and almost all those people had infected others, many of whom became sick.