Correction: Bread Furst has entrance control procedures in place to limit the number of people inside at one time. The item below has been changed.
by Will Fowler
The District has made some strides toward allowing normal life to resume. In Phase 2, restaurants are welcoming dine-in customers again. You can work out at the gym or get your nails done. But make no mistake – we’re still in a pandemic. We’ve seen the surge in coronavirus cases in other parts of the country when people stop being careful.
We thought it would be helpful to see – in one place – what grocery stores have been doing to help shoppers and employees safely go about their business.
We collected the information below by visiting each store and speaking to employees. We asked: How they are they managing the number of shoppers in the stores at one time? How are they helping customers and staff keep their distance from one another? When are the stores the busiest? What items have to be restocked the most often? (Not just toilet paper!)
Giant Food (4303 Connecticut Avenue NW)
- Entrance control: None, but signs are posted reminding customers to socially distance and wear masks.
- Social distancing policy: Stickers on the floor demarcate six feet distances and there are arrows pointing controlling the flow of foot traffic through the store.
- Busiest hours: 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays, 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on weekends.
- Most restocked item: Toilet paper.
Uptown Market (4465 Connecticut Avenue NW)
- Entrance control: None. Indoor dining has reopened, but the entrance is separate from the market.
- Social distancing policy: Signs remind customers to keep a distance of six feet, but there are no physical guides besides tape on the floor in some parts of the store.
- Busiest hours: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. daily.
- Most restocked item: Fresh fruit.
Bread Furst (4434 Connecticut Avenue NW)
- Entrance control: “Friday-Sunday and periodically throughout the week we have people stationed at both door ways to monitor the in/out and control the amount of people in the store,” Scott, a Bread Furst manager, told Forest Hills Connection. “We have taken great pride since the beginning to assist our community and customers in maintaining social distancing here in the store.”
- Social distancing policy: Stickers remind customers to stay at a six foot distance.
- Busiest hours: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. daily.
- Most restocked item: Flour.
Streets Market (3427 Connecticut Avenue NW)
- Entrance control: None. “We used to have a line out the door,” said one cashier. “But we don’t have to limit the number of people in here anymore. Not as many people come by now.”
- Social distancing policy: Stickers throughout the store remind customers to keep at a six foot distance.
- Most restocked item: Toilet paper.
Yes! Organic Market (3425 Connecticut Avenue NW)
- Entrance control: None.
- Social distancing policy: There are some stickers near checkout, but narrow aisles and an absence of any guidelines elsewhere can make navigating the store difficult.
- Busiest hours: 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays, midday on weekends.
- Most restocked item: Carbonated drinks.
Broad Branch Market (5608 Broad Branch Road NW)
- Entrance control: The store limits entry to five customers at a time, but that rule sometimes isn’t enforced.
- Social distancing policy: Stickers throughout the store remind customers to keep a six foot distance and control traffic flow in the store. Customers are directed around the store in a counterclockwise fashion.
- Busiest hours: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. daily.
- Most restocked item: Fresh produce.
Safeway (5545 Connecticut Avenue NW)
- Entrance control: None, but signs are posted reminding customers to socially distance and wear masks.
- Social distancing policy: Although in parts of the store stickers keep customers at a six foot distance and control traffic flow in the store, there are some areas of the store without such controls.
- Busiest hours: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily.
- Most restocked item: Hand sanitizer.
Whole Foods (4530 40th Street NW)
- Entrance control: Numbers in the store are limited, and employees are posted outside to enforce that rule.
- Social distancing policy: Stickers keep customers at a six foot distance.
- Busiest hours: 11:00 to 3:00 pm. daily.
- Most restocked item: Toilet paper.