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GROCERY STORES: West Seattle Thriftway to require masks

April 30, 2020 8:50 pm
|      40 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

New trend in grocery shopping: Mandatory masks. You’ve probably heard that Costco will be requiring shoppers to wear them starting next Monday. Now we have a local grocery store adding the requirement: West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) announced today that it will require shoppers to cover their faces, also starting Monday. Checking other stores – Metropolitan Market says it’s “asking” shoppers to wear masks; PCC Community Markets (WSB sponsor) “strongly encourage” customers to do it.

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40 Replies to "GROCERY STORES: West Seattle Thriftway to require masks"

  • C April 30, 2020 (9:18 pm)

    Thank you, Thriftway! 

    • Andros April 30, 2020 (11:07 pm)

      Yes. Thank you!!

  • Anne April 30, 2020 (9:19 pm)

    My regular store-so thank you. It’s been concerning to continue to see many folks not wearing masks in grocery stores.

  • Justme April 30, 2020 (9:27 pm)

    equally important for servers and baristas, checkers, etc… to wear masks, not just the shoppers. I wish businesses would let us know that their employees are wearing them before we attempt to support them.

    • AJ April 30, 2020 (9:46 pm)

      If you want me to wear one, you better give me one. I don’t have one for this. 

      • Elikapeka April 30, 2020 (10:36 pm)

        If you’re an employee, I agree. If you’re a customer, you can wear a bandanna or scarf over your mouth and nose if you don’t have a mask.  That should meet the requirement.  Many establishments refuse service to those without shirts or shoes, and we don’t expect those to be provided.   Why should they have to provide you with a face covering?

      • James Walker April 30, 2020 (10:39 pm)

        Guess you’re going hungry AJ.  

      • Lina May 1, 2020 (8:56 am)

        Do you have a scarf?  or older shirt?  or pretty much anything made of cloth?  Old clothes?  Tie it around your nose and mouth and you are good to go with basic coverage to protect your fellow community members and yourself.

        • David May 6, 2020 (12:53 pm)

          Unfortunately, tway is not enforcing this requirement.  Some shoppers still are not wearing any face covering at all.  It’s really a bummer when your neighbors don’t seem to have any interest in protecting each other from the virus. I get that it is hard to enforce, but why institute a policy if you have no plan (or ability?) to enforce it? This really isn’t a matter of civil liberties.  If a person refuses to wear a mask, then that individual should choose a different markets where that is not a requirement 

    • DQ was essential April 30, 2020 (9:59 pm)

      Went to DQ in Burien for a blizzard yesterday and all the employees were wearing masks. The masks looked the same – wonder if the owner bought them for them. Either way, it was an enjoyable drivethru experience.

      • Gatewood mom April 30, 2020 (10:05 pm)

        They have masks at Target… $15 for 10. 

  • ada April 30, 2020 (9:28 pm)

    I was there this afternoon and most everyone was wearing masks. Those who aren’t are definitely in the minority. I was surprised that the person behind the seafood counter wasn’t wearing one and was helping a customer.  But that was the only employee I noticed who wasn’t so overall very good job.

    • Anne April 30, 2020 (10:03 pm)

      ADA-I’ve gone on Senior mornings-a few times have gone later in day. I do try to only go once a week-but continue to see many without masks-guess it’s just times I choose to go. Every employee I saw was wearing a mask this morning.

  • Mr E April 30, 2020 (10:42 pm)

    The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. That said, there may be reasons why someone is not wearing a mask. Deaf people use facial expressions when signing and wearing a mask can make it difficult to communicate ASL. People with autism may find masks uncomfortable. Please take a moment before you react at someone not wearing a mask. 

    • Carrie May 1, 2020 (5:51 am)

      I’m pretty sure everyone finds a mask uncomfortable. I certainly don’t enjoy wearing them. 

    • John W May 1, 2020 (8:21 am)

      I’ve taken a moment, and disagree.  These excuses are not valid reasons for possible exposure to others.  If you are deaf, please wear face covering save for those moments of required communication, rarely in the supermarket.If you are autistic and find the masks uncomfortable, use a bandana or have someone shop for you. Our president appears to be the only person with a valid reason to not wear a mask as it would smear his thick orange make-up base. 

      • Anne May 1, 2020 (12:38 pm)

        Please folks-if you can’t think of others-at least think of yourselves -your loved ones.No one “ wants” to have to wear a mask-but it’s What we need to do right now. Surely most have a scarf, bandana, handkerchief at home. I even saw a military website that shows using a regular t-shirt -no cutting or sewing needed.If you google masks for hearing impaired-there’s places/individuals that are making masks-with clear insert around mouth.But agree with other comments that stores would have no problem if hearing impaired had to lower their masks to communicate. Most of our grocery stores here in WS have  awesome employees who are more than happy to help in any way. Let’s all do our part-what’s asked of us-

  • bolo April 30, 2020 (11:04 pm)

    No shirt, no shoes, no mask, no service.

  • Stay well May 1, 2020 (7:45 am)

    This is good. People should make sure they have masks or alternative face coverings now, before it’s required more places. 

    Bandanas are pretty cheap and easy and you can throw them in the wash and reuse them. You can make these more effective by folding a paper towel and inserting it between the two triangles of the bandana.

  • Mj May 1, 2020 (9:05 am)

    And are they providing masks to people who do not have one?

    • DC May 1, 2020 (10:31 am)

      The announcement says mask or protective face covering. You can use a scarf, old t-shirt, bandanna…  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPx1yqvJgf4&feature=youtu.be

      • WSB May 1, 2020 (10:39 am)

        Sorry. I tend to be in the camp that uses “mask” as a synonym for anything that covers your face, hadn’t even thought about the possibility some people don’t have masks weeks into all this (we bought washable cloth ones going on a month ago and have worn them to the grocery store every week since the CDC recommendation). But yes, what they’re requiring is that you cover your nose/mouth.

        • ACG May 1, 2020 (12:53 pm)

          WSB ran a story a few weeks ago about the local retired seamstress who is making masks.  Donations accepted to pay for them, and the funds raised go towards various charities. I ordered some this week for adults and kids. They will deliver or you can pick them up here in West Seattle. 

  • Eric May 1, 2020 (9:29 am)

    Thank you Thriftway!Our excellent local store for the last 30 years!

  • Rick May 1, 2020 (10:21 am)

    I just use my leftovers from my old bank robbin’ career. 

  • Beto May 1, 2020 (10:41 am)

    Any store that asks customers to wear masks is on my list of favorite stores.   Thanks Thriftway!

  • Q Patriot May 1, 2020 (10:41 am)

    We are being played for fools. Here are the actual numbers from the CDC site. More people are dying of Pneumonia or Influenza then Covid-19. Information warfare.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/health_policy/Provisional-Death-Counts-COVID-19-Pneumonia-and-Influenza.pdf

    • WSB May 1, 2020 (10:57 am)

      Read that again.

      Column 1 = COVID deaths
      Column 2 = COVID plus pneumonia/flu
      So you subtract column 1 from column 2 to get ONLY pneumonia/flu.

      For the last two weeks of the chart the COVID # is larger than the pneumonia/flu #.

      That aside, those stats are likely an undercount:
      https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2020/04/27/covid-19-death-toll-undercounted/?arc404=true

      • newnative May 1, 2020 (1:37 pm)

        Not to mention that list is from over 2 weeks ago, before the story broke that COVID-19 (and deaths resulting from it) were occuring long before the dates on that doc. 

    • ltfd May 1, 2020 (11:27 am)

      Sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut, than to remove all doubt.

    • Just wondering May 1, 2020 (2:08 pm)

      Enjoy your shot glass of bleach!

    • TinFoilHat May 1, 2020 (2:17 pm)

      Let me guess, the “Q” is for QAnon?  Talk about being played for a fool.

    • Newton May 2, 2020 (2:49 pm)

      Please note the user Q Patriot is most likely a bot. Common practice in miss information is to drop an inflammatory comment in a seemingly unrelated thread to promote a polarizing conflict within a thread This is similar to tactics used in Russian interference during the 2016 election. Do not bother responding and instead report the user to a WS Blog moderator. 

      • WSB May 2, 2020 (3:29 pm)

        Nope, we know how to screen for that and multiple aspects of the comment (not publicly visible) indicate t was a real, local person

  • Community Member May 1, 2020 (1:11 pm)

    (1)The mitigation steps we are all doing have kept the COVID-19 deaths much lower than they might have been.  We’re falling out of an airplane. Opening the parachute has slowed our descent to a safe rate. Phew. Doesn’t mean it’s time to take the parachute off.(2) Death rates are not the only impact of this disease. Right now, NOBODY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD actually knows how survivors will feel 6 months after recovery.

  • Nukegrrrl May 1, 2020 (8:15 pm)

    I live in lower Queen Anne, hope y’all don’t mind me shopping at your Thriftway if there’s room for me when I go. Tired of grocery stores in my area not taking this seriously at all and I’m glad to drive the long way around to those that do so long as I’m not crowding y’all out.

  • Bradley May 3, 2020 (4:12 am)

    This is GREAT news. I hope Trader Joe’s, Wholefoods, PCC, and all other West Seattle grocery stores and the Westwood Village Target follow Costco’s and Triftway’s good example.

  • Sunny Lake Lodge May 5, 2020 (10:21 pm)

    Was at whole foods today. Didn’t offer masks till 5/6. But yet it was  told nation wide. 

  • Gretchen May 11, 2020 (3:57 pm)

    I was there today and I can assure you they are not requiring people to wear masks despite what their signage says.  There were lots of people in the store without masks and when another customer complained, they told him that they were asking people to wear masks, but weren’t enforcing it if they don’t.  I was really disappointed in them.

Sorry, comment time is over.