Design, the Grocery Store, and the Future of Shopping
Is That Safe To Eat?
In addition to increased competition, the COVID-19 pandemic has created new complications for the grocery store. Weakened supply chains, including meat processing plants that have been forced to temporarily close, have left grocery stores with prod-uct shortages and an uncertainty of how long they will continue. Existing store layouts make it difficult for shoppers to maintain a distance of six feet from others. Grocery store employees, considered essential during the pandemic, must regularly expose themselves to the virus and many have become ill.
The pandemic has raised several questions:
Will limiting the number of shoppers in a grocery store be permanent?
How will grocery stores ensure that employee and customer safety is a top priority?
How can customers be encouraged to feel that the packages they bring into their homes are “safe?”
Are there other venues for purchasing produce, meat, and dairy that don’t rely on a food system that can so easily be broken?
How will increased familiarity with food delivery services, curbside pick-up, and farmers’ markets affect the grocery store?
