Stringent sanitation measures in place to ensure employee and customer safety
MIAMI (May 15, 2020) – After careful consideration and following the state and local approval, Goodwill South Florida will re-open 20 of its stores on Monday, May 18th; with its three additional stores including both of their outlet stores re-opening on May 20 and the rest of the stores on May 22, for a total of 36 stores in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The non-profit now considers itself at a point where it can safely reopen its stores with rigorous new sanitation and safety measures in place, and reduced hours of 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., until further notice. A list of the 20 locations that will initially re-open on Monday can be found at www.goodwillsouthflorida.org
“The decision to re-open our stores was not taken lightly. We have the responsibility to balance the livelihood of our employees, the safety of our customers and employees, and the financial solvency of our vital organization,” said David Landsberg, CEO of Goodwill South Florida. “We are confident that we have the right procedures in place to protect our customers and employees, while moving cautiously towards continuing our mission to offer much needed work and services to people with disabilities and other barriers.”
After the statewide “stay-at-home” executive order was installed in March, Goodwill South Florida temporarily closed its retail stores and had to furlough a number of its employees. Goodwill used this time to thoroughly clean and disinfect every store and implement new safety procedures in preparation for the re-openings.
“We are thrilled that we were able to re-hire many of our valued team members; who have expressed that they are excited to come back to work,” said Landsberg. “The time is right to safely bring back employment opportunities to the people we serve, and provide access to low-cost goods for those who have been financially impacted by COVID-19.”
Following are the new safety procedures that Goodwill South Florida has implemented in its retail stores:
- All retail workers must wear a mask
- Store occupancy is being limited based on recommended guidelines
- Fitting rooms and water fountains are temporarily closed
- Shopping carts and baskets are being cleaned and disinfected between customers
- High-touch areas are being cleaned and disinfected multiple times a day
- Floor markers have been placed to guide customers through the store and staging areas have been installed at cash registers to allow for social distancing
- Plexiglass partitions were placed at check-out counters to separate the cashier and customers
- Restrooms are open, and are being disinfected many times a day
The safety procedures that have been in practice at Goodwill South Florida Donation Trailers since the start of the COVID-19 crisis will also continue to be upheld. These include:
- Customers can donate items at Goodwill’s no contact, stand-alone donation trailers, which can be found at goodwillsouthflorida.org/donation-centers.
- All donation attendants must wear a mask when dealing with customers.
- For customers who wish to get out of their cars, donations can be placed six feet from the donation trailer attendants.
- Donated items are being quarantined for 72 hours.
Goodwill South Florida has taken measures to prevent the infection of its employees and customers. In the event that a store receives confirmation of a positive COVID-19 case, the non-profit will adhere to the recommendations of the CDC to close and deeply disinfect the location and encourage any potentially exposed team members to self-quarantine.
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About Goodwill South Florida
Goodwill South Florida, serving Miami, Broward and Monroe counties, is the 17th largest employer in South Florida. The nonprofit’s mission is training, employment and job placement for people with disabilities and other barriers to work, helping individuals increase productivity and achieve greater independence. The agency provides disability services to over 7,000 South Floridians. Goodwill engages in a unique social enterprise model that funds mission services and employment for over 3,100 persons. Although most known for its Goodwill donation centers and retail stores, the organization’s other entrepreneurial businesses include Ryder Apparel Manufacturing, Custodial Services , Laundry Services and Third Party Logistics Solutions, which train and employ a large number of people, while providing mission funding. Goodwill South Florida is one of the most cost-effective non-profits in the U.S with 96 percent of its budget going directly to programs that are aimed at people with disabilities and other barriers to work. For more information, please visit goodwillsouthflorida.org or our newsroom and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter and tags us @GoodwillSFL.
