Face masks to become Mandatory for retail businesses – here’s the advice for garages

[Mike Ruff, GW editor]

Customers entering retail environments in England are required to wear face masks from Friday (July 24) but many garages remain confused about the cla
[See the full post at: Face masks to become Mandatory for retail businesses – here’s the advice for garages]

[Colin Dingwall]

I work on reception and have a screen in front of me. Should customers coming into reception be required to wear a face mask? A reception area is basically a shop in my view.
Many thanks,
Linda

[Mike Ruff, GW editor]

Hi Linda, as with everything surrounding the pandemic there’s lots of grey areas when it comes to government guidance and legislation and the use of masks is indeed one of them. While there’s no official line on this specifically for garages, GW understands that the same retail definition used for business rate relief and coronavirus grants are likely to be used here, which would suggest that customers entering a garage should wear a face mask from Friday.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by Mike Ruff, GW editor.

[Andy Humble]

Having read that article I’m just as confused as before! It doesn’t give any real information as to whether we should tell customers to wear masks, just an advert from a company selling them! It’s my customers who would be wearing them, I wouldn’t be buying them!

[Barry Chandler]

It seems prudent to ask customers that wish to enter the premises to wear face masks. The other option is to keep them outside the doors. The rules seem clear.

[DEBORAH]

I WORK ON RECEPTION WITH NO SCREEN, SHOULD I WEAR A MASK TOO WHEN CUSTOMERS COME IN ?

[Nigel Goodwin]

Hi not sure if my sales staff will need to ware masks when taking to customers on the fore court and then whilst back in the office ?

[Meat-Head]

Dont see the point, beginning of lockdown, yes understand
But now several months in why bother, no matter how hard we try
This Plague/Milley Cirrus thing will continue to spread.

Yes wash hands and 2 meter gaps etc

Had a customer in earlier today, after working on their car
Comes walks in office “Do I need a mask?”

“Err no, just your money” (Bill was £650+VAT)

[Alastair Mayne]

We no longer sell fuel, but our Service Reception area is basically also where our ‘petrol shop’ was. Until we had a screen for our reception desk we were able to ‘deal with’ workshop customers using the night service hatch in the window. We could place a basket through the hatch for customers to drop their car keys into, pass the credit card machine to them through this, and finally their documents and an anti-bacterial wipe with their keys. Once we had a screen we cordoned off our waiting area, continued our practice of a basket for the keys and anti-bacterial wipes etc and strictly limited our customers to one at a time in reception. Since last Friday we have also enforced the policy that customers should wear masks. The majority of our customers have been fully compliant with all of this, most of them are actually appreciative and thank us for taking these precautions. Dealing with the public I have been surprised just how cautious/frightened some people are, and it is the most worried customers that we want to reassure. Of course we have had the odd person who has not wanted to comply, but they are also often the type of person who will also happily drive around in their car without a current MOT, or with a know safety issue because ‘they can’t manage without it’ to get it repaired. We are learning about this virus and how to deal with it every day and the way I see it is that we learn to adapt so that we keep everyone (staff & customers) safe and our business going. We are maintaining peoples vehicles for the same reason, not just to keep them safe, but for the safety of everyone that may be around them.

[Philip Wilde]

I have no problem with a mask in shops but if I have to wear a mask I expect shop / retail staff to be wearing one as well. One rule for all is the only way

[janet grist]

we were told we were not entitled to business rates relief nor a business grant as we were not classed as retail.

[Meat-Head]

Take the other day, customer parks in workshop door, walks straight into
Workshop no mask insists i looked at his car there and then.

He got two word reply, second involved the word ‘off’

[Meat-Head]

Odd wont mention details but some guy has applied for umpteen grants and got them for his umpteen business, toilet cleaning, car park attendant, double glazing etc

[Meat-Head]

What is it with this #cornovirus

People just keep walking into the workshop and start talking to like your their best buddies.

When they do that, get told next week before can look at it, if they park in middle of yard, get told week after next

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