Ordering Things Online During A Pandemic

As a response to Coronavirus, restaurants, retailers, shops, and stores worldwide have had to change their business hours, limit to pick-up only, or even close their doors completely. Consequently, online shopping and ordering has surged and e-commerce traffic has increased exponentially as people find ways to get their products while staying at home.

Whether you are ordering online to minimize direct face-to-face contact at stores, or just simply doing some online retail therapy to help cope, it’s important to always stay vigilant with how these deliveries are received.

Here’s a list of tips we’ve put together to help you reduce risk and safely receive home deliveries:

• Request contact free drop off options. When finalizing your order, be sure to include a note in the “instructions” section to leave packages on the porch or other designated location.
• Put gloves on to open the package. This will prevent you from having to make direct physical contact with the package.
• Open the package outside and dispose of packaging right away. Doing so ensures that you won’t being any of the germs and bacteria from that package directly into your home.
• Clean items with disinfectant or warm soapy water. If parts of the product are able to be cleaned without being damaged, wipe it down to make sure that it is bacteria free.
• Wash hands with soap and water or sanitizer afterwards. Everything will be pointless if the bacteria and germs remain on your hand and you continue to touch everything and spread it around. Washing your hands should be part of your regular routine!

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also deemed it safe to receive packages in general as the likelihood of an infected person contaminating the products and then someone else catching it is low. Additionally, the virus is unlikely to survive through the movement, transportation, and exposure to various environment conditions and temperatures as well.

Lastly, it is important to be patient with all online orders and deliveries during these times as many businesses are undergoing huge surges in online traffic and are currently overwhelmed and trying to keep up with the demand. Keep in mind that all your delivery workers are working hard and in a high risk environment, so be sure to treat them nicely!