Iceland boss tells shoppers to be kind and buy in stores
Iceland MD Richard Walker has become the latest retailer to contradict coronavirus advice given by Boris Johnson earlier this week.
When the Prime Minister ushered in lockdown measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak, he recommended that Brits use online food delivery services whenever possible. But in an online post, Walker stresses that current demand is vastly exceeding supply.
“We have done our best to restrict online ordering to the elderly, vulnerable and self-isolating, and we are working hard to make more delivery slots available, but each release is quickly snapped up. As with priority shopping hours in store, it is hard to enforce rules and we ultimately have to rely on the decency and goodwill of the public,” he writes.
“Therefore, I would actually urge the opposite of the Prime Minister: if you are healthy, not in a vulnerable category and adhere to social distancing guidelines, please do shop in-store – responsibly. This will enhance priority online for those who need it most,” he adds.
This echoes comments by Tesco boss Dave Lewis who, in an email sent to customers, said: “We are at full online capacity for the next few weeks and we ask those who are able to safely come to stores to do so, instead of shopping online, so that we can start to free up more slots for the more vulnerable.”
Be kind
Also in his online post, Walker remarks that the coronavirus emergency has brought out the worst, and the best, in people. In terms of the worst, “we have seen the sickening destruction of two of our much needed delivery vans in a night of disturbances in Southmead, Bristol”.
There have also been far too many instances of store colleagues being abused and even physically assaulted by customers, usually enraged about stock shortages, or resentful of efforts to impose limits on their purchases to ensure that lines in high demand are available to as many people as possible.
“Selfishness, rudeness and a total lack of care for others are sadly part of every shop worker’s daily experience right now,” Walker comments.
“Yet those who work in retail have never been more in need. We have always called our store teams ‘frontline colleagues’ but the last two weeks really have felt like the front line in a war.”
