Supermarkets in Pune ensure gap even as they work full time

PUNE: Retail grocers may have decided to operate only till noon each day from Thursday, but the branches of all supermarket chains in the city will continue functioning all day long, much to the relief of residents.
A D-Mart employee confirmed that they had not received any communication from the management against staying open all through the day.
“We are functioning all day as we have not received any orders to close the store early.In Mumbai, there are restrictions on timings but not in Pune. Since the lockdown was announced, we have made it mandatory for customers to get a coupon issued one day in advance. The coupon mentions the time slot for shopping on the following day when the customers are expected to come for shopping. Only about 10 to 15 customers are allowed inside the store every hour. The staffers, including that for billing and stocking, have been reduced for now. Those working have been provided with all protective gear,” he said.
Likewise, Big Bazaar too has all its outlets across the city open through the day. “We have drawn boxes outside the store for customers waiting in line. besides, a limited number of persons are allowed inside the store at one time to avoid crowding,” a security guard at a Big Bazaar outlet said, adding that the rule of social distancing was being followed, considering the Covid-19 spread and the resultant lockdown.
A representative from Star Bazaar also said all their outlets were open from 9am to 7pm every day.
“People need to obtain tokens between 9am and 10am before being allowed entry to make purchases. Timing for entry into the store is mentioned on the token and customers can come back at that time to make purchases,” the representative said.
A local supermarket chain, Fine Foods, is also set to remain open for the stipulated work hours. “Since the lockdown commenced, we have been operating between 9.30am and 5.30pm. We will continue to work during these hours,”an employee said.
He said, “To maintain social distancing, we are allowing only two or three customers into the store at a time. A bottle of sanitizer has been kept outside the shop and must be used by people before entry.”