Safe In The Store

Examples of new safety practices developed and implemented by home furnishings retailers

Retail establishments are centers of interaction between the store’s employees and the community. Responding to their community’s needs, home furnishings retailers have developed various new practices to ensure the safety of those interactions.

Alliance4Safety recommends following all state and local government guidelines, and offers these examples for companies that wish to exceed those guidelines.

Allinace4Safety

Low Threat Level

Personal Protection

Use a soft voice when greeting and speaking with customers

When presenting materials to the customer

  • Encourage employees to wear gloves
  • Offer gloves to the customer

Post signs encouraging employees to

  • Wear masks
  • Avoid touching their face
  • Wash or sanitize hands hourly or after each customer interaction, whichever occurs more frequently

Provide reusable face masks to all associates

  • Provide training in the proper use and care of masks
  • Instruct associates to wash their mask after each day’s use

Require masks to be worn at all times when working with customers

When not working with customers, associates are not required to wear a mask but must follow proper social distancing practices

Provide Hand Sanitizer at multiple locations throughout the store

  • Store entrance
  • Customer workstations
  • In restrooms
  • Inside mattress / sleep center
  • Customer workstations

Use mattress and pillow protectors

If customer insists on using a sample book

  • Discourage them from touching the book
  • Wear gloves as you guide them through the book
  • Clean after each use

Social Distancing

Post signs encouraging employees to maintain a 6-foot distance from customers and each other

When assigning employees to a station, request that they limit their movements away from that location

Conduct sales meetings in the showroom and require 6-foot separation

Do not offer to shake hands or engage in any other physical contact (fist bumps, elbow bumps, hugs, etc)

Avoid taking objects from or giving objects to customers

Encourage use of your store’s online design tools whenever possible

Offer to assist customers with viewing options online via their smartphone, tablet, or laptop

1 person in restroom at a time

Food and drink may only be consumed in one’s own office or personal workspace, the breakroom, or outside rear of the store

Do not allow more people in the breakroom than can sit 6 feet apart

Health Screening

Require all employees who are not feeling well to use sick time and seek medical attention

Cleaning & Disinfecting

Frequently throughout the day

  • Showrooms
  • Restrooms
  • All equipment, such as phones, tablets, work tools & etc.

After each customer interaction

  • Surfaces, door, and drawer handles

Wipe down packages upon receipt

Allinace4Safety

Moderate Threat Level

Includes all Low Threat Level practices +

Personal Protection

Associates must wear masks at all times inside the store

Request that all customers wear a mask in the store

  • Offer a disposable mask to any customer who is not wearing one

Place plexiglas fixtures between associates and customers at any location where associates and customers interact across a table or counter

Associates must wash or sanitize hands hourly or after each activity and customer interaction, whichever occurs more frequently

Social Distancing

Associates must maintain a 6-foot distance from all other associates at all times

Place all customer workstations 6 feet apart

Using orange carpet tape or other suitable material, place 6 foot demarcations or freestanding stanchions at counters, registers, or any place where customers may wait in line

1 person in restroom at a time

1 person in the breakroom at a time

Prohibit use of any breakroom refrigerator

Health Screening

Require associates to take temperature upon arriving for work

If temperature is more than 100 degrees, ask associate to seek immediate medical attention

Cleaning & Disinfecting

Surfaces, phones, tablets, work tools and other equipment must be wiped down with a disinfectant before and after each use

Clean restrooms after each use

Allinace4Safety

High Threat Level

Includes Low and Moderate Threat Level practices +

Personal Protection

Require all customers to wear a mask in the store

  • Deny entry to any customer who refuses to wear a mask, unless the customer specifies that they cannot wear a mask due to existing health or medical conditions

Social Distancing

Maintain 6-foot distance from all other persons at all times

Post signs at entry and other appropriate locations reminding all persons to maintain 6-foot distance

Limit store occupancy to 1 customer per 1,000 square feet of floor space

Maintain a log of visitors who come on site

  • Include name, date, time, and company of each visitor

Any customer who refuses to abide by any instructions should be asked to leave the premises

  • Report incident to store manager immediately