Cookham Discussion Board

As life begins to return to some normality, we want to reassure you that we’re continuing to do everything we can to keep you and our Partners safe while still providing the quality produce and great service Waitrose is known for.

We’re cleaning rigorously, we’ve installed protective screens across our shops and we’ve made personal protective equipment, such as masks, visors and gloves, available to all our Partners.

You will have seen some updates from the Government recently and I wanted to share our approach with you in light of this latest guidance.
 
FACE COVERINGS
 
From Friday 24 July, we’re asking you to follow the new government legislation on face coverings while shopping in our stores.

All customers, apart from children under 11 and those who have reasonable cause, such as a health condition, disability, physical or mental impairment, should wear a face mask, scarf or other covering. Not all exemptions are visible, so please be understanding of other shoppers.

You will also see our Partners in both Waitrose and John Lewis stores will be wearing face coverings. These will be worn by all Partners who are not exempt when they are in areas where two metre social distancing cannot be achieved or where other measures, such as screens, are not present.
 
SMALLER QUEUES
 
As customers return to their normal shopping patterns, we’re seeing queues reducing, and no queues at all in many shops. If you do find yourself queuing, please try shopping outside of the peak lunchtime and early evening hours when it’s quieter.
 
SHOPPING HOUR FOR THE ELDERLY AND VULNERABLE
 
At the beginning of lockdown, when some products were in high demand and shops were busy, we created a dedicated hour at the start of each day for our elderly and vulnerable customers.

We know how much this was appreciated and so – although our shops are now less busy and we have effective safety measures in place – we will continue to keep the first shopping hour on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays reserved for our elderly and vulnerable customers from Friday 24 July.

We hope these measures reassure you that we take the safety of customers and Partners very seriously. Thank you for your patience and support in these challenging times. I look forward to seeing you in our shops soon.