Hudson Valley Store Now Scanning Customers’ Temperatures

While most stores are doing their best to keep customers safe during the pandemic, one is going above and beyond, while earning some loyal customers.

This weekend I was shopping for some furniture with my family and we found ourselves traveling from store to store to check out the competition and compare deals. While all of the furniture stores were practicing social distancing and encouraging mask use, one was especially vigilant.

We were taken by surprise at Bob's Discount Furniture when a sign greeted us at the door instructing us to wait before being admitted inside. After standing in the vestibule for a few moments, an employee waved us inside. We were immediately greeted by two employees wearing PPE. One offered each of us hand sanitizer, squirting it directly into our hands while the other approached with a handheld temperature scanner.

We were asked if we minded having our temperatures taken. I was completely taken off guard by this, not having experienced anything like it before. Of course, I had no objections, so the employee quickly scanned all of our foreheads and cleared us to enter.

I honestly have to say that this was the most relaxed shopping experience I had since the pandemic started. That extra sense of security knowing that everyone who came into the store was checked for a temperature had something to do with it, but I think just seeing how serious the business was taking customers' safety really put us at ease.

Just last month an alert was sent out to customers who shopped at Ashley Home Furniture, which is located right next door to Bob's. After an employee tested positive for COVID-19, anyone who entered the store in the middle of July was encouraged to get tested. Curiously, when we went to Ashley this weekend we were not given a temperature check like we were at Bob's.

On the way home I started to wonder why more stores aren't checking temperatures. Surely, it doesn't cost much to buy a scanner for the greeter to use. During the height of the pandemic, it would have given me so much more peace of mind heading into the grocery store knowing that everyone else I passed in the aisle was checked beforehand.

When there's so much to worry about when doing something as simple as stopping at the store, that extra show of concern is something that not only makes customers feel more comfortable but goes a long way to earning their trust and future business.

So, while we saw lots of great pretty decent couches on Sunday, we decided to go with the one from Bob's. Did Bob's earn our business because of their store's safety protocols? Or was it due to the fact that my son thought the red couch would look pretty cool in our game room? Maybe it was a little of both.