LAKEWOOD, Colo., May 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural Grocers
has announced the company extended its $2 per hour hero pay increase for its good4u
Crew—heroes in aprons and face masks!—through May 31, 2020. Previously, the natural and organic
grocery store announced the $2 per
hour pay increase would be in effect from March 23 until May
3 for hourly store, bulk repack production and warehouse
Crew, with $1 of the increase being
permanent and $1 being temporary.
With this new announcement, $1 per
hour worked will be paid as a temporary bonus through May 31 and the other $1 per hour will continue to be a permanent
raise. The company has also provided two discretionary bonuses to
store Crew and one to bulk manufacturing Crew. Additionally, all
breaks times have been permanently increased to 15 minutes.
"As always, our business decisions are guided by our Founding
Principles, allowing us to remain rooted in health and rooted in
our commitment to our communities and our good4u Crew throughout
the coronavirus pandemic," said Heather
Isely, Natural Grocers Executive Vice President. "This
crisis will not last forever, but our Crew members have been, and
will remain, heroes and deserve to be recognized for their service
to the community even after this crisis has passed. This permanent
$1 per hour increase is our way of
showing that our appreciation for all they have done during this
crisis continues beyond the end of the pandemic, and it will be a
reminder of how we made it through these times together."
My Mask Protects You, Your Mask Protects Me
Before the
CDC and local governments recommended wearing face masks as an
additional tactic to flatten the curve, Natural Grocers made the
decision that all in-store and manufacturing Crew would be required
to wear face masks. With the shortage of available face masks,
their good4u Crew members, including the Isely family, and some
loyal customers have been sewing cotton face masks to ensure the
Crew would have masks quickly.
Since studies1 show that face masks are most
protective when worm by everyone, Natural Grocers is now requesting
that all customers wear face masks when they shop unless they have
underlying health issues that make it difficult to wear one. In
addition, stores will adhere to any city, county, or state orders
requiring customers to wear face masks while shopping.
In addition to requiring Crew to wear face masks, and
encouraging all customers to do the same, Natural Grocers will
continue to abide by previously announced policies and guidelines
that help protect Crew and customers, and maintain a clean and as
safe-as-possible shopping and working environment.
These policies include:
- In addition to face masks, all Crew have been provided personal
hand sanitizers to use throughout their shifts. As supplies allow,
hand sanitizer is available for public use.
- All stores have social-distancing markers on the floor at the
register line to show 6 ft. distance and have posted
social-distancing signs throughout the stores. Crew is respectfully
reminding customers to observe social distancing throughout the
day.
- There is a set maximum number of customers allowed in stores at
one time based on square footage. In addition, each store adheres
to any city, county, or state orders regarding how many people can
be in a store at any given time, which may be based on the square
footage of the store or a percentage of maximum occupancy.
- Plexiglass sneeze guards have been installed at every register
to help in adhering to social-distancing guidelines and to help
support the health and wellbeing of our Crew and Customers during
the check-out process.
- The front entrance of each store will be staffed with a Crew
member to clean carts for customers as they enter, to remind
customers to social distance, to provide hand sanitizer to
customers, and to monitor and adhere to customer limits and face
mask regulations.
- There are two shopping hours available exclusively for seniors
(ages 60 and older), pregnant women, and individuals with
underlying medical conditions: Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and Wednesdays from
8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
- Their health-check policy requires all Crew to take their
temperature and to check for other COVID-19 related symptoms prior
to reporting for their shifts. If any Crew has a temperature of
99.6° F degrees or above, they are required to stay home until they
have been fever-free and/or symptom-free for at least 72 hours
without the use of fever-reducing drugs. Crew are required to
verify that they completed a fever and symptom check upon arriving
at work. In addition, stores are adhering to any city, county, or
state orders regarding temperature, symptom checks, and
verification of return to work requirements. Good4u Crew are
provided with paid time off (PTO) which they can use if they are
sick and required to stay home.
For all Natural Grocers updates related to the coronavirus
pandemic, please visit:
https://www.naturalgrocers.com/coronavirus-updates. To locate the
closest Natural Grocers store, visit the store directory.
About Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
Natural
Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC; NaturalGrocers.com)
is an expanding specialty retailer of organic and natural
groceries, body care products, and dietary supplements. The company
offers a flexible, neighborhood-store format, affordable prices and
free, science-based nutrition education programs to help customers
make informed health and nutrition choices. Founded in Colorado in 1955, Natural Grocers has more
than 3,500 employees and operates 157 stores in 20 states.
1
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/04/why-wear-a-mask-may-be-our-best-weapon-to-stop-coronavirus
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