Following the removal of Covid restrictions in England earlier this week, the NFRN conducted a straw poll among members to find out what effect the changes have had on their businesses.
Requesting customers to wear face masks or continue to socially distance is now at the discretion of the store owner. However, if you do ask people to wear face coverings you must be mindful of exemptions – especially those that are not obvious or hidden.
All of those surveyed said that, despite it no longer being a legal requirement, they and their staff are still wearing face masks while at work, as are the majority of customers. Those retailers who have installed protective screens have also kept them in place.
Trading has carried on as normal, with no significant change in the number of customers, and none of those asked had witnessed panic buying, despite warnings of possible shortages recently reported in the media.
The overwhelming response was “business as usual”, with no reported problems.
If you prefer customers to still wear face coverings when in your store, the NFRN has created some new posters that you can put up as a polite reminder. The posters are available to download and print by clicking here.
However, the Federation strongly advises members to avoid confrontation with customers for their own safety.
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