Best Practices for Shopping Safely
A lot of our favorite businesses are open again with new guidelines in place to keep shoppers and employees safe. It's been incredible to see our community rally around local businesses during these unprecedented times. When we're out and about shopping retail, grabbing a bite to eat, or exploring our incredible downtown areas, these best practices make sure we're all playing a part in safe shopping.
Best practices for Shopping Safely
When you head out to your favorite shop or boutique, you have a role to play in public safety. Make sure you're following these guidelines when you head out to support our local businesses!
Follow the 5 things to do
Our local businesses are working hard to keep employees and shoppers safe, but you can do your part as well! The "5 Things to Do" keep everyone safe while shopping and they're easy to remember and follow:
- Wear a mask, if medically able
- Enter the business with clean hands
- Adhere to social distancing measures (6 ft. when possible!)
- Cover coughs and sneezes (and don't go out if you feel ill)
- Be patient and kind to employees
These 5 simple steps for safe shopping make a huge difference. Following these guidelines means everyone can confidently support our local businesses and visit their favorite spots around the greater Champaign County area.
Do Some research ahead of time
Some local businesses are relatively unchanged now that Phase Three opened its doors again. Others are taking appointments to limit shoppers inside their building or maybe offering altered hours. Before heading out to do some shopping, take a peek on social media or a business' website to see if they have changed their hours and operations to keep everyone safer.
A great place to check is our Business Updates page which we're updating every day. You can also search them on our shopping directory which covers businesses all over the greater Champaign County area. The directory isn't updated to the latest changes in every case but does link to websites and social media to help you find the latest information. It's also recommended that you call ahead of time when things online aren't too clear. This way, you avoid any confusion and can show up to shop properly.
Check For champaign county safe pledged businesses
We understand that not everyone feels confident yet to get out and shop like normal. A huge area of uncertainty for a lot of shoppers is cleanliness and employee practices. That's why Champaign County Safe worked with public health officials and state guidelines to create a safety pledge!
Pledged businesses have committed to enhanced safety standards and precautions to keep shoppers confident and safe while visiting their shops. Likewise, these practices help employees stay safe as our local businesses begin seeing increases in foot traffic. We're all in this together, and when you're ready, pledged businesses are doing everything they can to make your shopping experience safe and enjoyable.