Rules to Follow While Shopping During the CoronaVirus Pandemic

Most countries are on lockdown right now, Pakistan is no different. In the majority of the country, people are only allowed to go out for essential shopping groceries and medical supplies. The fact of the matter is, coronavirus is transferred the most from person to person than from any surface or other means. So, this makes shopping actually very complicated.

Thank God, though, many supermarkets are using supermarket delivery service now so you can just place your order online or through a call and wait for the delivery guy to deliver it to you on your doorstep. However, if you still feel like you need to go and shop the groceries yourself, at least once a month or when the authorities allow you, here are the rules you are required to follow in order to protect yourself and others:

Avoid Crowded Stores and Shop Quickly:

As we have learnt that coronavirus is spread most rapidly through community, so this is what you need to avoid. You need to avoid going to a store that is crowded. If there’s a line, make sure that you stand at least 6 feet away from the person in front of you. You also should keep in mind that you aren’t at the store to shop leisurely, at your own time or for fun. Make haste while shopping. The best practice is to bring a list with you and buy items according to it. If you can’t find something on the list, then ask the storekeeper, rather than wasting time going from aisle to aisle again and gain.

Take All The Necessary Precautions:

They say precaution is better than cure. So, whenever you are going out, make sure to wear a proper face mask, gloves and wash your hands before leaving the house as well as after coming back. If you can, take a shower when you get home from your shopping trip! While you are at the supermarket, make sure to stand 2-3 feet away from the counter while making payments and don’t touch any unnecessary surfaces. It’s wise to keep a disinfectant wipes in your pocket and clean the handle of the trolley with it before using it.

Use Credit Card

Can you imagine the number of people that must’ve touched the cash the cashier is about to give you back as change? Why take the chance of coming in contact with something that has a high probability of carrying the virus? The best practice is to use your credit/debit card for payment, so you don’t have to touch cash notes at all. These are challenging times and thus require you to take every measure you possibly can.

Shop Alone

If you can, then you should shop alone. It is understandable for single parents to take their kids or for patients who can’t be left at home alone to come for shopping, but those who are healthy need to shop alone. When you shop alone, you will find that you will save a lot of time, as there are no two opinions involved in anything. This will also reduce the number of people at a store so everyone can shop quickly. Social distancing can also be practised if there are less number of people present under one roof. Plus, it also reduces the number of people who are exposed to the potential threat of COVID-19. Make smart choices while shopping!

Disinfect the Items You’ve Bought:

Yes, it sounds like a long, tiresome task, but you should value your health above all else. If this doesn’t convince you, then do it for the household members that you love! Whenever you bring in grocery items to your house, disinfect each and every one of them since research says that the coronavirus germs can be present on surfaces!

Why Should you Make Healthy Food Choices?

The advice you get when you ask someone how to be healthy is probably “eat healthy”. What does eating healthy even mean? It means having a balanced diet and avoiding consuming a lot of foods that contain high about of sugar and salt. This is a general idea, however, you will come across dozens of diets and nutritions when you search it.

If you want to eat healthy, then you should resort to whole-food items meaning foods that aren’t processed and are as natural as possible. Vegetables and natural protein food are great for your body. It is hard to leave those crips and wafers that come in packs, I know. But, there are a lot of reasons you should choose to shop for healthy food items when you go to supermarkets or use an online grocery shopping service, like howmuch.pk. Read the following reasons to understand the importance of making healthy food choices:

Disease Prevention:

Without proper intake of calcium, your bones become brittle, and your teeth become weak. You can have osteoporosis if you don’t intake calcium. Similarly, if you eat a lot of sugary or fatty foods, you can become obese, which is the primary cause of diabetes. Excessive intake of sodium through chips can cause high blood pressure. However, if you maintain a balanced diet and eat healthy, you can prevent all these diseases from attacking you.

Better Mental Health:

Eating healthy improves your mood. Don’t take my word for it; try it yourself! You’ll find yourself more energized, happier and healthier. According to several studies, eating food that’s good for your body does more than just get you in shape physically. You’ll have less depression, anxiety, attention deficiency, etc.

Healthy Weight:

Obesity can be the cause of a lot of health problems. When you take care of what you eat, you will find that your body will shift to your ideal weight. A good tip is to stop eating when you are full, even if there’s food left in your plate. Buy vegetables, fruits and also have a portion of meat to fulfil your body’s protein requirement! If you stay away from processed foods, you don’t even need to keep a calorie count, you’ll be fine!

Maintain a Healthy Immune System:

Our shield against diseases is our immune system. Unfortunately, the poor nutrition you take in can cause your immune system to become weak and thus, your body, prone to diseases. When you have healthy eating habits, you have proper intake of vitamins and minerals, ensuring that your body is strong enough to find various viruses. So, it’s best to include fruits, vegetables and low in fat foods in your diet.

Improved Memory:

A good diet can help in improving your memory. Vitamin D, C, E and omega-3 fatty acids are found to be really beneficial for cognitive abilities. Eating vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, zucchini, cucumber are some of the vegetables that can help. Bean, lentils and chickpeas are your friends too. Lastly, eating seafood really improves your memory also!

Long Life:

A person who has healthy eating habits has a better chance of attaining a long life. According to several studies, people who eat better, exercise daily significantly reduce the chances of early death. They have much fewer diseases, and their bodies are in better shape to survive their growing ages. Eating natural produces and walking for just 30 minutes per day can do wonders for you and your health!

The Takeaway:

It’s tough to get rid of our bad eating habits, I am aware of that. But, no one is asking you to get rid of all your junk and processed foods in a way! Take one step at a time. Oh and you aren’t banned from never eating these foods either, just eat them in moderation. There are way too many perks of eating healthy than unhealthy, just keep in mind, and you will automatically start taking small steps towards having better eating habits!

COVID-19 Tips for Retailers

COVID-19 has spread like wildfire throughout the world. Every country is doing everything in its power to stop its spread. It’s been found out that while the coronavirus can be spread through surfaces, the most significant factor that accounts for its spread is community. Lockdowns have been placed to ensure minimal human contact and maximum hindrance for the spread of COVID-19.

Industries have, of course, felt the brunt of these actions. The retail industry is no different and is suffering from reduced sales. But, in these tough times, everyone needs to stand together and battle Corona. The retailers need to not only use their retail POS software effectively but also use a few other tips to ensure maximum security and productivity for their customers and business, respectively:

Deep Delve into Inventory:

You need to see what items are selling and what are not. You need to make strategies that those items which aren’t selling are sold in time before they research their expiration data or rot away. Similarly, those items that are in high demand should always be present in your stock, so you don’t lose any potential sales. In these times, especially, sanitizers and hygiene products are in high demand, so if you sale them, make sure to have a large stock of these items.

Social Media Posting:

People are at home, in self-quarantine with nothing better to do than scroll through their social feeds. This is the time you can bring your products in front of their eyes. It’s wise to post about your products on your social pages. If you provide home delivery, it’s best to highlight the service too as these days, people prefer home delivery over everything else.

Creative Promotions:

Successful are those businesses who learn to find the silver lining even in these awful times. Coming up with creative solutions such as giving away a small bottle of sanitizer with a specific amount of shopping can be one. Don’t let these tough times come in the way of your creativity and sales!

Properly Cleaning the Store:

As coronavirus can survive on surfaces from hours to days, you need to sanitize your store after every few hours to ensure the safety of yourself, your workers and your customers. If you are a grocery store, then you need to make sure that your trolleys are also cleaned with disinfectants and that everyone entering your store first sanitizes their hands.

Implementing Social Distancing:

You need to put up stickers in your store and create barriers between the counter and the customers. Similarly, there should be stickers on the floor, with the appropriate distance of 2 meters that a customer needs to stand from the other, especially at the counter side. You need to move the aisle and other furniture at your store to ensure that you can have social distancing there. Plus, depending upon the space in your store, you need to decide the number of people allowed at a time. The rest can form a line outside the store premises, with stickers on the floor informing them how much distance they need to maintain from each other as they wait outside.

Provide your Staff with the Appropriate tools to battle Against Corona:

This pandemic has created it very difficult to work for everyone. Yet, essential workers need to do their job. One such essential roles is working in retail stores. The store owners need to provide their workers with the appropriate hazmat suits, hand gloves, and face masks. Moreover, they also should be given access to sanitizers and have the best hand wash on the premises.

The Takeaway:

The retail sector is one of the few industries that can work even during this pandemic, but store owners need to ensure that they don’t put the lives of their employees in danger and provide them with maximum security possible. There are several ways that they can cut their loses and find ways to improve their sales.