How Cannabis Retailers are Keeping Staff and Customers Safe During the Pandemic
As outlined in our post yesterday, the Ontario government has deemed cannabis stores and cannabis producers essential businesses within Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We have taken the opportunity to reach out to our retail clients and friends to share with us the measures they are currently taking to help protect their customers and their staff during this difficult time. Below is an alphabetical list of Ontario retailers and a summary of the steps that they have currently undertaken, or plan to undertake.
Please check back frequently as this list will be updated on an ongoing basis. If you own a cannabis retail store, have not heard from us, and would like to be included, please contact Matt Maurer.
Wishing you all the very best at this difficult time.
Stores
Hobo Cannabis Store
Ottawa ByWard - 121 Clarence St.
Ottawa Merivale - 1642 Merivale Rd.
Timmins Mount Joy - 903 Riverside Dr.
Toronto Yonge-Dundas - 330 Yonge St.
Toronto Danforth Village - 2480 Gerrard St.
Brampton Bramalea - 14 Lisa St.
Toronto Leslieville - 20 Leslie St.
Toronto Theatre District - 130 John St.
hobo.ca
Hobo Cannabis Store has officially opened its Ottawa ByWard location on 121 Clarence St. The store is running regular hours of 9am to 11pm to help ensure that customer flow is spread throughout as much of the day as possible. Hobo has plans to open 15 stores in Ontario this year, 9 of which have been granted Retail Store Authorization’s (RSA) to-date. Once opened, all stores will be following added operational measures as recommended by health officials in light of COVID-19 protocols.
Updates to Hobo’s operational measures can be found on their website at https://hobo.ca/blogs/messages/covid-19.
Hobo is restricting entry to five customers in stores at one time. Staff tills have been set at least 6’ apart and only one customer is permitted at a till at a given time. Physical distancing decals have been placed throughout the store, 6’ apart. Plexiglas dividers have been installed at sales counters and at the identification check station. Stanchions have been placed to create designated ‘in” doors and “out” doors to control traffic in a coordinated manner. Customers are and will be encouraged not to gather outside of storefronts and distancing in line ups outside the stores will be instructed.
Cash payments have been temporarily suspended and the use of tap for credit and debit machines is encouraged. Hobo is frequently sanitizing all commonly used surfaces with hospital-grade disinfectant and is using sanitizer wipes on payment terminals. In addition, sales counters, tabletops and bathrooms are being sanitized frequently.
Staff at sales counters and in fulfillment are mandated to wear latex gloves at all time and all staff are mandated to wash their hands on at least an hourly basis with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Hobo does provide online pre-order and pickup (Click & Collect) through its website, hobo.ca.
One Plant
One Plant Ajax - 20 Kingston Rd W Unit B003A
Ajax, ON L1T 4K8
(905) 427-4716
One Plant Barrie - 231 Essa Rd
Barrie, ON L4N 6B7
(705) 252-1768
One Plant Barrhaven - 4335 Strandherd Dr
Nepean, ON K2J 5P8
(613) 440-4200
One Plant Stouffville - 5779 Main St
Stouffville, ON L4A 4R2
(905) 642-5111
oneplant.ca
All stores remain open with reduced hours. We currently plan to remain open for as long as we are permitted and it remains safe for our customers and staff.
We will be implementing click and collect in April through our website – www.oneplant.ca.
All customers who are feeling unwell (cough, temperature or difficulty breathing) or who have travelled in the last 14-days are asked not to enter the store. We are limiting the number of customers in our stores to control social distancing. Social distancing is maintained in the store by marking acceptable queue locations. Once per hour the store is closed to sanitize common areas. Once per week the store receives a ‘deep clean’ that is more significant than our daily store cleaning. We have moved to only accepting contactless payment (i.e. credit and debit). We have gloves and hand sanitizer available for all customers and staff.
Sessions Cannabis
964 Kingston Road, Toronto
312 Hurontario Street, Collingwood
sessions.ca
Sessions Cannabis has remained open with reduced hours at both locations and plans to continue with this practice at this time.
Sessions has increased its protocols relating to sanitization, including all surfaces, merchandise shelves, check-out stations and other common services. Sessions is also encouraging physical distancing and are only permitting five customers to be in the store at any given time. A queue has been set up outside to keep things orderly while people wait outside for their turn to enter. Sessions has also undertaken an education campaign for its staff and customers.
Click and collect is available for customers via www.sessions.ca.
Sessions would like to see the provincial government allow retailers to expand their sales outside of the physical store in these difficult times by permitted curb side pickup and/or allowing local delivery from store locations.
SHINYBUD
2625C Weston Rd #27
North York, ON M9N 3V9
(416) 901-7692
Shinybud.com
We are open 10am to 11pm everyday.
We are offering click and collect through Shinybud.com
The well being of our team, our guests and the community is the most important to us. As the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues, our goal is to help keep our community healthy.
On top of our internal precautionary sanitary measures. We are updating our current customer procedures, to help keep our team and community safe.
How to make your purchase at SHINYBUD:
- With the goal of limiting customer touch points throughout the store
- NO Longer accepting CASH payments
- Only payments by Debit or Credit
- No longer using the Self serve tablets
-
Security guards are no longer touching your ID
- Present your ID to the Security guard without handing it over. Keep a safe distance.
-
Limiting 5 guest in the store at a time
-
Not permitting anyone that is visibly sick to enter into the store.
-
Click & Collect is readily available for you to check stock levels plus Reserve and Pick up your order in store. Visit shinybud.com to place your order!
-
Observe physical distancing while in store and stand in the designated “boxes” labelled on the floor.
- We’ve installed Sneeze Guards at our POS and Pick Up counters.
SHINYBUD team is closely following indications from the Public Health Agency of Canada as well as from provincial authorities and will continue to be fluid with communication and provide updates with our procedures outlined above.
Thank you for your continued support. At this time, we will maintain our standard business hours.
Superette
1306 Wellington St W, Ottawa, Ontario
superetteshop.com
Current Store Plans
At Superette, the health of the team, customers and community are its top priority. We have been diligently monitoring changes on a day by day basis and modifying operations in accordance to the development of COVID-19 and the recommendations of regulatory and health experts.
On March 16th, 2020, Superette made the preemptive decision to close early at 4pm, and entirely beginning March 17th, to evaluate the best course of action.
On March 20th, 2020, Superette reopened with limited operations and with the introduction of Click & Collect. In only a couple days, the team was able to implement and launch Click & Collect, ahead of the original plan of April 1st, in an effort to service our customers in a safe manner. We believe that Click & Collect is an optimal way to provide access to our customers without compromising the wellness of our team and customers, as well as adhere to government and health recommendations on COVID-19.
Going forward, we will continue to assess the situation and make any changes necessary to support our team and community.
How Superette Is Protecting Team Members & Customers
Outside of the store
- Physical distancing lineups (2m) with distance markers on ground, we have a team member outside ensuring that everyone is adhering to this
Inside the store
- Step by step signage of how to use our Click & Collect service. Instructions can be read here.
- Physical distance markers on the floor for customers as to where they stand to place and receive their cannabis orders
- Limit to only 5 customers in-store at all times
- Customers have access to multiple hand sanitizers throughout store
- Team members are required to wear gloves at all times and wash their hands at least every 30 minutes
- Interac machines are wiped down after all customer interactions
- For customers who may not have cell phones with internet (our experience has been mostly seniors!), we are taking phone orders and inputting their orders into our Click & Collect system
- Store features such as diner booths, bud bar, shopping baskets and Pong game are off limits to customers
Store operations & policies
- Reduced store hours to 11am to 7pm
- Click & Collect orders are accepted online beginning at 10am to support customers
- No refunds/exchanges and no longer accepting cannabis packaging for recycling
- Team members that are feeling unwell or are experiencing any symptoms are instructed to stay home
Online & Community
- Key message on our social media channels on having customers use the Click & Collect service exclusively instead of walking into the store
- Marketing has been pushing this message through to our biggest local supporters who are sharing this to their own communities (eg. Dope Moms of Ottawa and our local BIA, Wellington West)
- Working with the Ottawa Food Bank on their upcoming April campaign to raise money to help feed the city during this difficult time. Superette will be making a donation and encouraging customers & the community to participate
Best thing we’ve heard on the first day of Click & Collect?
“Ok pre ordered weed and pizza. Do you need anything else, Grandma?”
Tokyo Smoke - Partner Stores
333 Yonge Street, Toronto ON
tokyosmoke.com
We are currently open with adjusted hours 10:00am - 8:00pm Monday - Sunday and plan on remaining open moving forward.
Click and Collect - customers will be able to order through tokyosmoke.com
Staff Support:
- We are compensating all staff working during the COVID-19 pandemic by paying for their transportation to and from work as this aids in supporting social distancing. Additionally, we have been providing the team with daily meals in hopes to limit their trips to busy grocery stores.
Social Distancing:
- We are limiting the amount of guests in store to ensure we only have a maximum of 7 customers in at one time. We have our security guard monitoring a one in, one out procedure.
- When a line forms outside, we have a Tokyo Smoke Educator placed at the lineup to ensure that a safe distance between guests is enforced.
- We have marked red Tokyo Smoke lanterns on the floor at our cash lineup to make sure customers are maintaining a safe distance between one another.
- We have removed our "grab and go" quick selling items from the floor and placed these behind the cash desk so that customers cannot touch these items. If a guest wishes to purchase a lighter, papers, etc. they must ask a cashier to retrieve the item from them.
Sanitation / Store cleanliness:
- We have a full cleaning crew scheduled once a week to do a top to bottom 3 hour deep clean of the store. In addition to that, we have our own cleaner who works Monday - Friday 8 hours a day supporting cleaning and disinfecting all areas of the store. Our Educators who are not stationed on cash are also frequently working to disinfect all surfaces. Finally, we have a company named, Jan Pro scheduled to disinfect the entire store using an EPA rated spray that is powerful enough to kill 99.9% of harmful bacteria.
- We have hand sanitizer stations placed throughout every area of the store
- We have provided masks and gloves to all employees who wish to wear these items at work
- We have removed all of our sensory orbs that display cannabis product as these are frequently touched by quests
- Limited cash purchases
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