GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As most of us are staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic's stay-at-home order, we are relying more and more on packages being delivered to our homes.
The UPS Store is one of the essential businesses still up and running to help folks get what they need. But business does look a bit different these days.
Shane Williams, a manager of The UPS Store, says his interactions with customers used to be a lot more hands-on.
"Usually we're right up on the counter helping the customer," Williams said. "We (would) take their phone for them and do (the work) for Amazon returns. Now, we can't really do that."
There are plexiglass barriers at the counters and cardboard boxes have been placed on the floor in front of the counter to help people remain distant. You'll even see a box of clean pens and used pens to use.
While business has slowed considerably Williams expressed that there has been a big increase in notarizations, which is among the services The UPS Store offers along with faxing, shipping, and post office boxes.
Some people have worried about contracting the new coronavirus via cardboard or other packaging. According to Williams, that concern is something UPS has addressed with their affiliates letting them know that the risk of catching the virus from a cardboard box is low.
"UPS has reached out to us and told us not to worry and to just make sure we're washing our hands, keeping our hands away from our face," Williams said.
But in addition to those safety measures, the store has also implemented daily times where they lock the doors and deep clean the high-risk areas to ensure customer safety.
"It's very important to us," Williams stated. "We clean our counter tops, printers, PIN pads, door handles...from top to bottom we clean this place to make sure it's safe for our customers."
The UPS Store featured in this article is located at 6026 Kalamazoo Ave SE in Kentwood.
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Don't forget, you can support local restaurants by getting takeout or delivery every Tuesday until West Michigan businesses are back up to full speed. Share photos of your food on social media using the hashtag: #TakeoutTuesday.