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General Manager of Janssen's Market on Running a Grocery Store During COVID-19 Pandemic
Paula Janssen ’91, the general manager of Janssen’s Market in Greenville, Delaware, describes the changes the grocery store has made to its daily operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing guidelines.
In what ways have Janssen’s daily operations changed in the past few weeks?
A lot of our customers are elderly—just the area that we’re in—and their safety is our biggest concern, so we started curbside grocery pickup. That’s been the biggest change to the business—that we are keeping about half our customers out of the store by pushing them to call in, give us their grocery order and then we deliver it to their vehicle. That’s been our biggest change.
What has the response to curbside pickup been?
The response to that has been huge. More people have subscribed to it than we could have imagined. And it’s really helped us keep some of our most vulnerable population from having to come into the store and be in the public.
What are some other changes Janssen’s has made?
We’ve adopted a lot of safe shopping practices within the store. We have one-way aisles, and we have markings on the floor to help you remember to stay a safe distance away from other customers. We’re managing the number of customers within the store, and the biggest way we’ve done that is by moving most people to—at least half our customers—to the curbside pickup. We’re managing to make sure there's a low number of customers in the store at any particular time so we don’t have overcrowding.
The other thing is just trying to get products on the shelves. That’s been a very big challenge during this time. The supply chain was really upended by all the panic that happened in March, and it hasn’t come back 100% yet. We’re having to source products from places we never have before and just be flexible and open to buying differently than we ever have before.
How has your work day changed?
A lot of what I’m doing right now is trying to calm people down, both staff and customers, and bring perspective that we’re doing our best. We’re staying healthy, and we need to stay healthy to stay open for our customers. I really appreciate our staff coming in every day and leaving their homes to make it possible for our customers to have food.
What do you love about your job?
There’s something different every day. Maybe I didn’t want quite as different as this is, but that’s definitely what I enjoy most about my job, that there’s always a new challenge or a new food adventure to go on. Janssen’s is a nimble small business with customers who have exceptional taste, and they challenge us to stay ahead of food trends and look for what’s next. Food is a personal thing, and we’re privileged that people trust us with their special occasions and help them just to have a really good steak at home with their family. I really enjoy that part.
Is there anything you’d like to share with fellow alumni?
I would just ask people that, when they go to their grocery store, wherever that is—I know alumni are spread all around the country—thank the front line employees, because they are all really putting themselves out there so that everybody else can stay home. It’s a challenge right now, and they’re doing their best and they’re doing great. I’m so appreciative of our team here and would hope that everybody would thank the people around them too in their lives that are putting themselves out there.
