This Episode: To Mask Or Not To Mask
Now that stores are starting to re-open the big question that keeps coming up is whether or not you should ask your team and customers to wear masks while in your store. So, in this episode of Real Retail TV, I’m going to tackle that tough question, tell you what an expert told me, and share what I think is the right choice.
I’d love to hear your opinion (even if it’s different than mine!) in the comments section below.
I can’t love this enough. Thank you. I had a vendor tell me the other day that she’d rather have the virus than wear a mask in my shop. I told her I would alleviate her fear and ask that she not bring her products in. *sigh*
Point on!! Thank you for being here for us.
Thank you for continuing to be a voice of reason!
Hi Bob!
I agree with everything you’ve said in the video.
Our employees are all wearing masks, and are more than happy to do so. We’ve also asked customers to wear masks, and are happy to help them outside if they don’t have one. Some customers have stormed out before we can finish our sentence… we even got a negative review on FaceBook & Google from a customer saying we refused him service because he’s not “drinking the Kool Aid.”
Our stores are in a high-traffic vacation spot. Our population sky rockets in the summer with people coming from all over the country. We are in contact with more people than most, so the masks (in my opinion) make our customers and employees feel safer. Also, like you said, it shows that we care!! Regardless of what some people may say. Several customers have actually praised us on our mask rule.
Not everything will agree, and not every customer will agree, but we implemented the rule to protect our customers and ourselves.
I agree with you Bob, my employees do wear mask and I have asked the customers that
masks because they don’t protect you, our answer is we wear our masks because
this is our gift to you. They don’t know how to respond. I know everyone looks at this
different but to many lives have been lost in such a short amount of time. I guess this
doesn’t matter to a lot to some. Stay Safe, Thank You
Thanks for your comment Marlene!
Great point of view Bob. I know that I am more comfortable when my employees and customers will be wearing a mask. I also have face shields for us as extra protection when someone refuses to wear one. I have instructed my team to NOT confront but rather suggest a mask. It is mandated in our state however I don’t think that means much to those that do not want to join in. I see it as protect myself, protect my customer, protect my merchandise.
Thank you!
Thanks for your comment Marie!
I require my staff to wear masks. We started out “asking” customers to wear a mask. Now if they want to come in the store they have to wear a mask …if they don’t want to wear a mask we are happy to help them curbside, or they can shop else wear ……their choice. My staff and customers are too important to take a chance when we have the ability to reduce the risk. To not do everything we can to cut down the risk of transmission is irresponsible.
I agree with you Chris!
Why is it Okay to ask a customer who chooses not to wear a mask (whether for health issues or otherwise) to shop elsewhere, but if you’re forcing them to wear it, it’s Okay?
I suggest to stay out of what they choose to do. You do you.
Bob, I agree with you 100%! The majority of my customers have been wearing masks. I supply them for free if they don’t have one. And the ones that come in and don’t want to wear….well, sorry about their luck. They have left. It’s hard to stomach sometimes but I’d rather everyone be safe. Two of us in the store have lung issues so it’s pretty easy for us to ask people to wear masks. This is a hard time but we will get through it. And it’s so much better to be safe than sorry.
“Better safe than sorry.” I agree!
Bob
Thank you for taking this very responsible stand. It is not about our own rights at all, but about the rights of others as well as the community at large, as you emphasized. Wearing a mask also shows respect for those who have died and the first responders who are working so hard to keep people alive.
I agree Annie. Thanks for commenting!
Our Downtown District has made arrangements with our Arts Center to create masks and provide them for free to everyone shopping. We call the program Downtown Cares, and a cute logo is printed on the mask that says Downtown Cares. Also in the works are large sandwich boards announcing the retailers request to wear masks inside the store. By having the large board outside it reduces the need to have staff assert the policy. We believe that by showing that we care about our customers we may create a higher level of loyalty and support to our district retailers. Thanks for this webinar!
I love that you have an entire District wide initiative! Thanks for sharing!
Bob
Thank you Bob, I agree with you 100%!!!
For those of you who say that you or your staff can’t wear masks for a variety of reasons, you can get a face shield. I am claustrophobic and wearing a mask is difficult for me so I purchased a face shield and it works great! I can breath, I can talk and I am being safe.
Be an Entrepreneur!
Idea: Give them a discount if they wear their mask.
Idea: Enter them into a raffle if they wear their mask.
Idea: Everyone is selling masks, and people are buying designs that fit their personality. So how about selling face shields and offering them to your customers at a very low markup? You could do a video on decorating your shield so it makes it more personal and fun. Give them something when they come in wearing their shield.
Thanks, Bob! I held my breath, because I thought, ”If Bob doesn’t draw a line, I might not be able to continue to support him.” You did the right thing! You’re going to make some folks mad, but my mom always taught me, ”What’s right isn’t always popular, and what’s popular isn’t always right.” stay safe, and thank you!
Cheers,
Sarah
Diane,
I love your ideas! Could you please share them on WhizBang! Retailers?
Bob
I sure will, Bob! Thanks.
Thank you, Bob, for your sharing your opinion with all of us. For the naysayers out there, if you don’t agree with Bob, that is your privilege. But do we have the right as a part of our communities, to be anything other than responsible citizens? I believe when you open your doors to the masses, we have certain responsibilities such as handicap ramps, safety features etc. In our shops, safe clean aisles to navigate. Would you want someone falling and breaking say, a hip? In an elderly person, that alone can be a death sentence. Forget the lawsuit issues, I would feel awful if falling in my shop ultimately took someone’s life. So what is the difference? We need to protect others, our customers, employees, our families and friends. Just be sensible and responsible entrepreneurs.
Well said. We wear because we care. Thanks Bob
Thanks Cathy. I’m all for people being sensible and responsible entrepreneurs!
Bob
The comments made me feel less annoyed when guests are not wearing masks. Maybe they have a health challenge. I wear a mask to keep myself healthy, and project that I care about them as well. I hope the CDC moves forward quickly in changing their advice about hard surfaces, if that is, in fact the case, because collecting things people touch, to be cleaned and restocked is A LOT of work.
Bob, I thank you for your change of heart regarding masks. My very tiny store is in a tourist destination in Wyoming, where we see guests from all over the world. Although our state and town have been impacted very little so far from this pandemic, I fear that the summer season and tourist influx could be devastating to our community’s health.
I re-opened my store last week and am requiring masks of all staff and customers. We are going to provide masks for no cost for as long as we need to – hoping that our “regulars” will start to bring their own in and wear them! I believe that this is a KINDNESS that we can all gift to each other, and hope to create that image for our customers.
So far, we have only had a handful of people who refuse to wear a mask or just read our sign and walk away. I’d rather have us all safe than have their business.
Stay safe.
Thanks for your comment Leslie!
Hi Jennifer, Thanks for your comments. And, yes, it would be nice to find out the virus isn’t as dangerous on hard surfaces!
Bob
I am in agreement with your perspective Bob, thank you for sharing. When I thought we were moving into the next phase of opening, I polled my customers on my FB group page, first expressing my plans and and safety procedures when we open, but also asking their thoughts about being asked to wear a mask, hand sanitizer, and even a temperature check. I received an overwhelming response, and 100% were in agreement, noting they had absolutely no problem, I even received lots of thank you’s for asking and sharing my plans.
The only naysayers so to speak are those who said they’re not ready to come into the store at all.
Nice work Melanie! Thanks for commenting!
Funny that you mention confirmation bias while neglecting to mention that the CDC just this past week admitted that the chance of transfer from contaminated surfaces was virtually zero.
That dozens of peer-reviewed studies have been conducted showing that masks provide mo protection, either from being exposed or from spreading a virus, this one included.
That there has not yet been even one peer-reviewed study indicating that both parties wearing cloth masks can prevent transmission.
That there have been many peer-reviewed studies that indicate that wearing a mask INCREASES your chance of catching the virus.
That the National Institutes of Health just published a peer-reviewed study indicating that this virus is no more contagious than the flu.
That the only way to stop the virus is to develop herd immunity and that the only way to do that is through community exposure. Dragging out herd immunity only guarantees a second wave and more business shutdowns.
That there are many people with health problems that make it unsafe for them to wear a mask and that having a strict mask wearing policy puts those people in danger and disregards their very real danger for what is just a perceived danger to others. Nothing can be more selfish than that.
I’ve always had a lot of respect for you, Bob, but when you as a leader, who wishes to advise people on this topic, doesn’t do your own basic homework out of fear and confirmation bias, you lose a lot of respect.
Let me give you a few personal examples. I put up signage on my door informing customers that we had staff and customers who, for health reasons, could not wear masks. That if anybody felt uncomfortable in this environment, they could request curbside service. The very first customer stops and reads the sign, hesitantly opens the door with her mask in hand and asks, “Do I have to wear this?” I told her that no she didn’t unless it made her feel more comfortable. She came in and explained that she is terribly allergic to the mask and had been wearing it in the big box stores because she thought she was required to. By the time she would get her shopping finished and leave those stores her eyes would have swollen almost completely shut. As such, she was very appreciative of our policy.
In another instance, a couple who were traveling through came in four shopping. She placed a large order, so while we were preparing it, she said that she had seen another store up thee block that she wanted to do some shopping in, so she would go there and come back to pick up her completed order. She returned just a couple of minutes later and told us they had a sign in their door that said, ‘No Shirt, No Shoes, No Mask, No Service, ‘ so she figured that meant ‘No Money’. She, like me, had severe allergies and asthma that make wearing a mask a very dangerous proposition that can quickly lead to death. Having a strict policy like you suggest is literally putting her life in IMMEDIATE danger vs the PERCEIVED danger of not wearing a mask.
If you think your feelings of fear are of more value than a person’s actual life, then you are a very sick man.
Every single state, county, and municipality that enacts a mandatory mask wearing policy has exceptions written in for those who have health issues. They aren’t honest enough to advertise these exceptions for fear of non-compliance, but they put them there to prevent lawsuits. What they also fail to notify business owners of is that a strict mask policy opens the business up to an ADA complaint. The FIRST ADA complaint comes with a $75,000 fine. The second, it doubles. How many small businesses, especially after the lockdown, can afford that fine because they heeded your advice?
Todd, I have never heard of anyone in the medical field being allergic to a mask, but I suppose it is possible. There were allergies to latex gloves, so they changed them. Masks have not been changed due to allergies. That said, I did a little research on your ADA claim.
According to https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/ada-implications-i-don-t-want-to-wear-a-91357/
“With regard to masks, generally the ADA prohibits places of public accommodation having restrictions that would limit access to an individual with a disability. However, the ADA does allow restrictions when an individual would pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others.
As of March 2020, the EEOC has declared that the COVID-19 pandemic meets the direct threat standard, based on guidance from the CDC and public health authorities regarding the risk of community spread and institution of restrictions. IMPORTANT – This standard may change and so businesses must stay up-to-date.”
So at this point, businesses are in the clear if they require their customers to wear a mask.
Furthermore, employers CAN require employees to wear a mask as long as it is provided by the employer.
Todd on May 25, 2020 at 8:28 am
“Funny that you mention confirmation bias while neglecting to mention that the CDC just this past week admitted that the chance of transfer from contaminated surfaces was virtually zero.”
First of all, this was an opinion about masks, not about fomites. Secondly, while the chances are small that fomites will be a problem it is possible and wearing a mask can lower those chances even further by limiting droplets from coughs and sneezes from reaching a surface.
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“That dozens of peer-reviewed studies have been conducted showing that masks provide mo protection, either from being exposed or from spreading a virus, this one included.
That there has not yet been even one peer-reviewed study indicating that both parties wearing cloth masks can prevent transmission.”
Nevermind that the CDC itself recommends using these cloth masks.Yes, the peer-reviewed studies may yet be lacking but apparently there is enough evidence to suggest they can be useful as indicated by the CDC recommendation. And it’s about lowering the RATE of transmission.
—–
“That there have been many peer-reviewed studies that indicate that wearing a mask INCREASES your chance of catching the virus.”
The theory is that we all should assume that we ALREADY have the virus. The idea is that we can slow it’s spread by slowing down our own spit from reaching another person who may not be infected.
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“That the National Institutes of Health just published a peer-reviewed study indicating that this virus is no more contagious than the flu.”
More people die from COVID-19 per number infected, and there is less known about how to treat it. The flu is currently controllable, COVID-19 is not. This is not about being more or less contagious. We need to slow the spread while we work to control it.
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“That the only way to stop the virus is to develop herd immunity and that the only way to do that is through community exposure. Dragging out herd immunity only guarantees a second wave and more business shutdowns.”
Herd immunity will, presumably, happen in time. At this time it is not a viable option since it results in far too many deaths. Business will suffer. But it will suffer more if the consumer is in fear of imminent death because they can’t get medication. And in densely populated areas the healthcare system would be overwhelmed. The only responsible thing to do at this point is lower the rate of transmission while working to find a vaccine and treatment medications.
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“That there are many people with health problems that make it unsafe for them to wear a mask and that having a strict mask wearing policy puts those people in danger and disregards their very real danger for what is just a perceived danger to others. Nothing can be more selfish than that.”
The face covering does not have to be a mask. If a person cannot wear a mask, due to health issues, then they can use something else. A face shield. Or a respirator that is engineered for that need. Or make other arrangements to maintain non-contact and help slow the spread.
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“I’ve always had a lot of respect for you, Bob, but when you as a leader, who wishes to advise people on this topic, doesn’t do your own basic homework out of fear and confirmation bias, you lose a lot of respect.”
Bob shared his opinion. And I think I have demonstrated that his opinion is at least as valid as your own. Do we only respect people who share our own opinion?
—–
“Let me give you a few personal examples. I put up signage on my door informing customers that we had staff and customers who, for health reasons, could not wear masks. That if anybody felt uncomfortable in this environment, they could request curbside service. The very first customer stops and reads the sign, hesitantly opens the door with her mask in hand and asks, “Do I have to wear this?” I told her that no she didn’t unless it made her feel more comfortable. She came in and explained that she is terribly allergic to the mask and had been wearing it in the big box stores because she thought she was required to. By the time she would get her shopping finished and leave those stores her eyes would have swollen almost completely shut. As such, she was very appreciative of our policy.
In another instance, a couple who were traveling through came in four shopping. She placed a large order, so while we were preparing it, she said that she had seen another store up thee block that she wanted to do some shopping in, so she would go there and come back to pick up her completed order. She returned just a couple of minutes later and told us they had a sign in their door that said, ‘No Shirt, No Shoes, No Mask, No Service, ‘ so she figured that meant ‘No Money’. She, like me, had severe allergies and asthma that make wearing a mask a very dangerous proposition that can quickly lead to death. Having a strict policy like you suggest is literally putting her life in IMMEDIATE danger vs the PERCEIVED danger of not wearing a mask.
If you think your feelings of fear are of more value than a person’s actual life, then you are a very sick man.”
Your examples only show that you have made a decision that you are comfortable with. Please read what you have here stated. It applies to you also. Our fears are not more valuable than a person’s life – yours included. Most of us would not sacrifice another life to save our own. That we have a different opinion of how to post our own rules of behavior does not make us any sicker than you are. Your point is to not to put anyone in danger by posting a mask requirement. Our point is to not put anyone in danger by not requiring a mask. We’re both right. Don’t put anyone in danger. Do what you must to protect people. And we will do the same. I will not call you a sick man because you have an alternate opinion as to how to act on our community’s behalf.
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“Every single state, county, and municipality that enacts a mandatory mask wearing policy has exceptions written in for those who have health issues. They aren’t honest enough to advertise these exceptions for fear of non-compliance, but they put them there to prevent lawsuits. What they also fail to notify business owners of is that a strict mask policy opens the business up to an ADA complaint. The FIRST ADA complaint comes with a $75,000 fine. The second, it doubles. How many small businesses, especially after the lockdown, can afford that fine because they heeded your advice?”
I think we all understand that we don’t need to be so strict as to be uncaring. There are exceptions to every rule. If someone is in need we will help them. But if someone is just being political we will ask them to comply or take their business elsewhere.
Shawn,
Thank you for your thoughtful reply.
Bob
Todd,
Thanks for your comment.
A quick clarification… My confirmation bias statement was about people engaging in confirmation bias about their beliefs surrounding masks, not the actual virus.
As to all the actual science… I don’t read all the latest information coming out of the CDC, but when, Dr. Linda Lee, the Chief Medical Officer from a company that sells sterilizing equipment to hospitals tells me something is true, I believe it.
You certainly have the right to think my advice was irresponsible, and I certainly hope that surfaces are not as dangerous a first believed, but I feel my information is solid and I’m sticking with my recommendations.
And even if the science is wrong I believe my advice is right. It doesn’t matter what the store owner believes, or what is actually scientifically correct, what matters is what the customer perceives, And, in my opinion, the majority of people out there want to know that the stores they shop with are doing everything they can to keep them safe.
Bob
What are your thoughts on masking with your customers? I have been using my customers as a guide. If they come in with masks on, I will put on my mask. If they do not come in with a mask, I do not put my mask on. I am the only one working in my store and have not had multiple customers at a time.
Thanks, Bob! I really appreciate your clarifying, for anyone who doesn’t get it, that it’s not about just us. It’s about all of us. That’s what “we’re in this together” means.
Thank you for explaining why anyone would want to follow the guidelines, whether they believe there’s a virus out there or not, or whether they have the constitutional right to do whatever they want to do. It’s not about the constitution, or whether the virus is dangerous, it’s about citizenship and the risk to community. I say, better safe than sorry.
Wearing a mask sets a good example. Where I am, we are not allowed out without a mask. When we see people not wearing a mask, they stand out as dangerous, or uncooperative at the least. Peer pressure works! Like you, I would not shop in a store where people were not doing everything they could to protect each other, and me.
One person I spoke to – a customer service person, no less! – dismissed people living in NYC as being a bunch of sinners, so what do we expect? She’s entitled to her opinion, but I didn’t appreciate it. I had not told her that I have lost two friends to Covid19, and several customers have lost family members and friends. We know of lots of people here who have recovered, thank God, but this virus has long-lasting or even permanent health effects. It’s not like getting over a cold.
Here in our region of NY we are not able to open up shop yet. We aren’t even supposed to be doing curbside or mailing of online orders (although many of my competitors are). It’s seriously hurting us, but I know we will find ways to recover, which I think is a much safer gamble than hoping to recover from the virus. Worth saying again: Better safe than sorry. I will wait.
Good luck to everyone getting though these times, safely and in good health. Now on to preparing for brighter days!
Thanks for your comment Kate!
Hello Bob,
I agree with your point of view when it comes to the retailer’s perspective. Making sure we show the customer we are doing all we can to keep them safe.
But what about enforcing the rules on the customers? Asking the customer to wear masks inside the store even if it’s not their belief, or not allow them in.
Thank you.
Hello Mario,
Enforcing rules with your customers is an entirely different conversation. I think you have to do what you are comfortable with while erring on the side of safety.
Bob