When Julie Stanton learned the Value Village thrift store in 91原创 at 20501 56th Ave had reopened, she drove in from North Vancouver to help a friend get her donations to the store, which had been closed as part of the battle to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been waiting over a month for this moment,鈥� Stanton told the 91原创 Advance Times, as she unloaded boxes of books from her vehicle into a tote on wheels with the assistance of a store staffer wearing a face shield, mask, and protective gloves.
Stanton said her friend, who lives on a large 91原创 property, was downsizing and had been putting boxes of donations aside for the time when the store reopened.
鈥淚鈥檒l be back again later today [with more],鈥� Stanton said.
There was a line-up of vehicles that morning waiting to unload donations, according to store staff, who directed requests for comment to the headquarters of the 315-store chain.
Value Village communications director Sara Gaugl said they were expecting a rush of contributions as stores reopened.
鈥淲e鈥檙e anticipating a high volume of donations of clothing and household goods, particularly in the short term, as spring cleaning has become a popular way for people to pass the time,鈥� Gaugl said.
Gaugl said decisions about reopening are being made on a 鈥渟tore-by-store basis as we consider local market conditions, follow guidance from local health and government officials, and ensure we鈥檙e operationally ready to reopen our doors with enhanced safety measures in place.鈥�
She added stores are carrying out deep cleaning prior to reopening and are increasing the frequency of cleaning 鈥渃ommonly touched surfaces, like check-out areas and shopping carts.鈥�
Store hours are being shortened, running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and additional space has been created on sales floors to 鈥渇urther support social distancing,鈥� Gaugl elaborated.
Sanitizer stations have been added for customers. Fitting rooms have been closed, so the exchange policy on clothing and shoes has been extended to to 14 days.
Most other thrift stores in 91原创 City, including an outlet run by the Value Village rival Talize chain, remained closed as of Wednesday.
READ ALSO: New 91原创 store expects to bring more customers to City鈥檚 downtown
READ ALSO: City council approves thrift store limitations
91原创鈥檚 Value Village is one of several stores re-opened by the thrift store chain in B.C. this week, including outlets in Surrey鈥檚 Newton neighbourhood, Abbotsford鈥檚 Clearbrook outlet, Chilliwack, Vernon and Kamloops, as well as Victoria, Nanaimo and Courtenay.
A store in Kelowna became the first Value Village in North America to reopen on May 1st.
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In an , Value Village CEO Mark Walsh asked customers to stay away if they become ill.
鈥淚f you aren鈥檛 feeling well, we kindly ask that you stay home and take care of yourself,鈥� Walsh said.
鈥淲e鈥檒l be here when you feel better.鈥�
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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