Despite the two public holidays and curfew, there was no evidence of panic buying or extreme commercial activity at the local supermarket chains in the Black Rock and Cave Hill communities.
With the recent surge of COVID-19 positive cases and the Government’s efforts to mitigate the health crisis, Barbadians and visitors were given two public holidays. This was expected to facilitate persons who needed to visit the polyclinics for testing.
Supermarkets operating over public holidays
One major issue for citizens and food business owners during the last period of curfew in 2020 was the demand for adequate access to supermarkets and other food suppliers. This time, supermarkets are opened to ease this problem.
Over the weekend and Monday, The Barbados Advocate visited several supermarkets in the St. Michael area. In Black Rock, Director of A1 Carlton Supermarkets, Tomlinson Bynoe, indicated the urban branch and Emerald City branch will be opened from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. during the January 4 and 5 public holidays.
With the impact of the pandemic affecting person-to-person interaction, many of the food suppliers have adopted delivery curbside pick-up and online ordering
options. While many of these businesses dealt with several challenges during the nascent stages of the pandemic, several supermarkets have implemented platforms and systems to respond to their customers.
During the brief exchange with Bynoe, he highlighted that the business recently launched its A1 supermarket app, which gives customers the option to order and pay for their groceries
online and arrange the mode of delivery.
Although there is more shopping convenience for customers, The Barbados Advocate has observed slow business activity for local supermarkets since the start of the new year. This has resulted in businesses making adjustments to their operating hours as this trend from 2020 continues.