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From takeouts to shopper

limits, businesses adapt
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The Subway in Walmart has removed all the chairs for

seating as restaurants switch to takeout only. COPYRIGHT
LARRY NEFF/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS

Published March 19. 2020 02:45PM

BY JARRAD HEDES
JMHEDES@TNONLINE.COM

R
estaurants bringing orders
curbside to waiting customers.
Grocery stores dedicating at least
an hour of shopping time to just senior
citizens and limiting the amount of
consumers inside at one time. Delis
offering toilet paper by the roll.

Businesses in the area have been forced

to adapt to a changing climate as Gov.
Tom Wolf urges even those that are
essential to limit their contact with
customers in an effort to curb any spread
of the coronavirus.

Country Harvest Family Market in

Palmerton is trying to keep around 25
customers at a time in the store to practice
good social distancing.

“We started it yesterday and the

customers have really been accepting of it
and responded well to it,” store owner
Chris Anthony said on Wednesday
morning. “There were no real parameters
to go off of. At the time we were
considering this, the government was
asking people not to be in groups over 50,
so we factored in our employees and
delivery personnel and thought 20 to 25
would be a good number.”

Even with the measure in place, Anthony

said, the longest any customer waited to
get in the store Tuesday was around 3
minutes.

“It can seem a little scary when you go to

the store and see that sign on the door
that you’re only letting so many people in,
but it has worked well,” Anthony said. “It
actually makes for a more pleasant
shopping experience for the consumer
because they’re not having to battle long
lines at the deli or battle a bunch of people
for a product when a pallet is unloaded. It
almost felt like a little return to normalcy
when you got in the store.”

Country Harvest joined many other stores

such as Dollar General and Giant in
dedicating a time for only seniors to shop.
From 8-9 a.m., only customers 60 and
older, as well as those at an increased
health risk will be permitted in the store.
The store is also offering free home
delivery. Orders can be called in or texted
to Sheri Anthony at 610-737-0469.

Meanwhile other businesses, such as

Cindy’s Deli in Franklin Township, are
taking steps to help area residents. While
they’re still busy with takeout food orders,
they have also set up a “staple items”
table. On the table are items such as
bread, rolls, toilet paper and paper towels.
Toilet paper is being sold by the roll at 99
cents each, while paper towels are going
for $1.25 a roll, both limited to three per
customer.

“We just thought if people are out and

they’re coming here to pick up take out
and they need just one thing, they can get
it and maybe save themselves some time,”
said Caitlin Moyer, Cindy’s Deli co-owner.
“They are mostly things we always have
for sale here anyway, a lot of people may
just not know about them. We have cream
of mushroom soup that has 11 servings per
can. Things like that can help a family out
for a while.”

Customers have not only taken advantage

of the offerings, they have helped expand
the offerings on the staple items table.

“We’re kind of learning as we go what

people want to see there,” Moyer said.
“Someone asked about tissues and it turns
out our distributor has them available.
We’re just trying to make every day in this
new world we’re living in a little easier on
people.”

Like many places that offer food, Cindy’s

Deli is doing takeout and delivery orders
only. The lunch period on Wednesday was
still busy, Moyer said, but things were a
little slower than normal as the afternoon
wore on.

“We’re still doing pretty good,” she added.

“Getting people in and out quickly and
maintaining proper social distancing.
We’re also doing contact-free delivery. We
can drop it off on your front porch. We’ll
say hi through the window if you want.”

Ateira’s on First in Lehighton is offering

meals that can last a few days for families
or they can be easily packaged to freeze.
These meals can be delivered to the door
step on Sunday or people can get curbside
pickup.

On the recreation front, Blue Shamrock

Golf Club in Palmerton is remaining open
with certain restrictions. The club is only
giving out tee times every 16 minutes and
the flagstick must be left in the hole at all
times. All customers must park one space
away from other vehicles in the parking
lot. Weather permitting, the club is hoping
to be open Thursday, Saturday and
Sunday this week.

Blue Ridge Communications, meanwhile,

has removed data caps for all speed levels
for the next two months. It is also
postponing its previously announced
video price increase from April 1 to June 1.

Penn’s Peak has postponed all scheduled

events through May 10. On Wednesday,
the concert venue announced several
dates for rescheduled performances.

New dates include The Mike Delguidice-

Big Shot show on Aug. 22, Last in
Line/Lynch Mob show on June 7, Clint
Black on Aug. 15, Sara Evans on Aug. 28,
and LiveWire (AC/DC tribute) on Aug. 29.

All tickets for the original dates will be

good for the rescheduled performances.
Refunds for these dates are available at
point of purchase.

Tags:
Business, , Health

1 Comment Sort by Newest

Add a comment...

Denny Creitz
Dollar General dedicating a time for only
seniors to shop. From 8-9 a.m., only
customers 60 and older, as well as those at
an increased health risk will be permitted in
the store. The biggest health risk to a senior
is trying not to break a hip when they fall in a
pot hole in the parking lot at the
Nesquehoning store.
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