FIRST LOOK: New Kamloops grocery store to open amid COVID-19 pandemic

KAMLOOPS – Grocery stores are an essential service, which has been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the way people shop has changed due to physical distancing requirements and increased sanitation.

Kamloops’s newest grocery store, FreshCo, had the unique opportunity to prepare for pandemic safety measures before opening up shop.

The supermarket is set to open on Thursday (May 14), but there won’t be much fanfare.

“We’re not having a grand opening,” said Franchisee Steve Fremmerlid. “It will just be a soft opening. Essentially, we’re just opening the doors and we’re open for business.”

FreshCo was initially set to open in April, but due to the pandemic and some supply shortages the opening date was pushed into May.

This gave the store more time to prepare for operations during a pandemic.

“Coming into the store, you’re going to see definitely a lot of measures opening up during a pandemic, ensuring that every cart is sanitized for every customer that comes through the door, we’ve got directional arrows throughout the store to encourage social distancing,” Fremmerlid said.

Fremmerlid says there has been an effort to create more space within the store to prevent customer from having to get too close to one another.

Cashiers have been provided with plexi-glass shields and the store will be cleaned frequently.

“Lots of sanitizing all the high-touch areas, hand-washing sink up at the front for the cashiers to wash their hands every 15 minutes, and any time any equipment is operated, we’re sanitizing it before and after each use.”

FreshCo replaces the former Safeway at Sahali Mall, which closed last November. Some of the staff have been hired back as FreshCo employees.

“There will be a lot of recognizable faces when you come back and shop,” Fremmerlid said. “We’ve got 12 employees who have returned from Safeway. We hired, additionally 128 people through our job fair. We have 140 people total working in the store.”

Fremmerlid expects the opening of FreshCo to decrease wait-times for getting into grocery stores across the city.

He adds people have already learned proper grocery store etiquette.

“Customers have been almost trained, so to speak, about following directional arrows and practicing social distancing within the store and not bumping into one another,” he said. “It’s a new behaviour that everybody’s learning and it’s getting better and better.”

FreshCo has partnered with Craig’s Bakery to provide fresh baked goods to customers. The store will also have access to products from farms throughout the region.

“Another thing, we’ve made a donation to the Boys and Girls Club’s Smart Start program of $2,500 to help feed children before their school day begins, whether online or in the classroom setting to help get them get going.” Fremmerlid said, adding the store is also looking to help out the Kamloops Food Bank.

FreshCo will open to the general public at 8:00 a.m. Thursday, but will be open to seniors only one hour earlier.

The store will be limiting the number of customers into the building at one time.