For the most part, stores here have continued using them (one did remove a salad bar, but the store was being remodeled anyway and every case was changed out). They just put pre-packed items in the place of bulk (olives in boxes rather than a big tray, chicken wings in small plastic boxes on the hot section rather than empty boxes and wings in bulk pans, and even in some places extra types of deli items pre-sliced and packed to cut down on lines for service deli).storewanderer wrote: ↑January 19th, 2021, 5:58 pm Retailers are going to need to make some decisions. And part of the bigger question here is how long do you keep a fixture present that is not being used? I am seeing idle previously self serve food bar, salad bar, moochi bar, underutilized bakery cases, in many stores. At some point you cannot keep this equipment idle forever and need to make some decisions. Be it converting to full service, prepackaged, or just removing the equipment and putting more stuff in the space that will actually sell, we are approaching a year of these fixtures being not used, and this is not sustainable.
So, at least in this area they've found ways to make the cases still useful, even if not in the original format (but they can be returned to that format easily enough when it makes sense - for instance the hot section has a plate over the slots where the bins would normally go to hold the pre-packed items, but take that plate out and you can have bins of bulk wings again.)
Never figured out why that was popular in some places, but NY never had issues with it staying as normal. One local NY chain did offer to make your coffee for you if you wanted, but still allowed people to do it themselves.storewanderer wrote: ↑January 19th, 2021, 9:37 pm The other thing that continues on as self serve is the coffee/soda at convenience stores. Just like before. A number of those machines are touchless though (cup against lever for ice, cup against lever to dispense beverage) but many do have a button to push to dispense product.
In some places in California there is an odd local regulation since April or May, that requires the cashier of the store to give you the cup, lid, and straw... this is great... right after they handle cash they give you all these things then you go over and fill them up. I get that having these items self serve and the customers "touching" them may not be great but having the cashier put the loose lid down on the counter as I am dealing with the payment machine (that counter isn't cleaned between customers) is not great.
One particular location I have visited multiple times with that local regulation put the cups back at the drink machines for the customer to take (I guess it was too hard giving the customer a choice between a plastic or a foam cup and having all those behind the register, also there was an issue giving the cup to the customer through the plastic shield at the register) but then you still have to get the lid and straw from the cashier. I really don't like that, as it exposes the drink to open air while you are walking around in the location. I'd rather cap the drink ASAP.
For the most part, things in stores are designed to be low touch anyhow (like a stack of cups, so you only grab the top one you are using, not touching others - same for lids). One chain did change from loose coffee stirrers to ones that are wrapped like straws, but another didn't (again not as bad as it sounds - you only touch the top end of the stirrer, and then use the other end to stir with, so any others you might hit grabbing one are the end not going in the drinks) - though said chain also has wrapped straws someone could use if they were really concerned.
I know there was quite a bit of complaint from customers in other nearby states (via the Facebook pages of chains that cover both areas), as those states required the stores to serve the coffee, and due to that some stores only made coffee at busier hours, which upset those visiting at other times.