In March our stores and entertainment facilities rapidly began to close and business owners and workers became very stressed. Many businesses that stayed open, especially the smaller, local ones, continue to experience slow traffic, low sales and are now faced laying off employees or closing their doors for good. Governor Lee announced that consumer retail and services could start opening in Late April but Nashville stays under a city stay at home order for a little longer. However, customers must still practice the art of social distancing and take the appropriate safety precautions.
Although stores will be able to open this month, they won’t be able to operate at full shopping capacity. So how can you continue to “live local” and offer your support of the businesses who are so vital to our economy? Here are five things you can do to help:
Shop your local stores online.
Even when local businesses open their brick-and-mortar locations, owners will need to trim down their customer capacity in order to adhere to the social distancing guidelines. You can continue to support these same retailers offering their products through online purchasing, even if they hadn’t been doing so before the coronavirus pandemic. You can also support those who create and sell goods out of their homes, such as custom signs, jewelry, etc.
Buy gift cards.
Service businesses like Bowling Alleys, spas and theaters that don’t sell products, are hit particularly hard by the coronavirus shutdowns. Help them continue to turn a profit by purchasing gift cards now for later use.
Order Food to Go.
We just can’t foresee many people running out to sit in a restaurant to eat, but you can still enjoy your favorite takeout food at home. Most restaurants are taking precautions to prepare their food within CDC guidelines in mind. You can safely order through the restaurants. Please if you can avoid using a food delivery service, like Grub Hub, Uber Eats or Postmates. They take 20% or more of the cost from the business as well as gross-up the cost to you. Great for them, horrible for you or the business. Use the restaurant’s drive-thru or curbside pickup service.
Bigger tips.
Whether you’re ordering dinner in or just having your groceries delivered because you don’t feel safe to leave your home, you can help local businesses make it through this economic crisis by tipping a little bit more than you normally would. You can usually add your tip to the total on your card to avoid physical contact with the delivery person.
If you’re a small business looking for help during this pandemic, make sure you contact us for help to take payments contactless or online. We can also help you market during this time as well.
