QR Codes, Drive-Throughs, One-Way Aisles Part of the New Normal

Mexico has entered the “new normal.” Although the country has not yet reached the peak of deaths and infections from COVID-19, the government has decided to take a step forward and bet on the economic recovery as soon as possible. The new normality, as defined by politicians and scientists, began on Monday in different cities throughout the country. Retail, one of the sectors most affected by the pandemic, sees the light at the end of the tunnel today for the first time in more than two months of economic lockdown. And, as reported in MBN, this will bring substantial changes. Some of the health measures taking effect in the Mexican retail sector are QR codes in restaurants to avoid customer contact with traditional menus; drive-throughs in malls, shops and restaurants; one-way aisles in supermarkets; limited customer seating at stores and the use of facemasks.

Walmart, one of the companies that has grown its online sales the most during the pandemic, has decided to become a pioneer of the new normality. Last Friday, the company presented its roadmap for the new era. The American company will grow its e-commerce platforms to make home delivery the most complete experience possible and will boost its last-mile service, which is a key component to any logistics service. “The first thing you are going to notice is the acceleration in the expansion of home delivery, because there were areas that were not being catered to. There are also going to be more delivery services in Superama and Walmart than we already had,” Cui Arroyo, Vice President of E-Commerce Operations at Walmart, told El Financiero. “At both Walmart and Superama, we have strengthened our logistics capacity by increasing our last-mile delivery fleet,” continued Arroyo. In addition, Walmart was the first supermarket in the world to implement one-way aisles and that will use drive-throughs in its supermarkets so customers can pick up orders made over the internet if they wish to do so.

The restaurant sector in Mexico City plans to resume activities on June 15, although the decision is not final yet. “Authorities say we will resume activity on June 15 but we are not sure. What is certain is that it will not happen before June 15,” Germán González, Director of Restaurant Chains of the National Chamber of the Restaurant and Spice Industry (CANIRAC), told El Sol de México.

As seen in countries like Italy, Germany or Greece, QR codes will replace traditional menus to avoid customer contact with these. Mexico City has published rules that will govern the operation of restaurants in the city. Mexico City´s government is forcing restaurant owners to encourage online reservations and limit the number of parties to 10 people per table. In addition, employees are forced to change the tablecloth of each table in the presence of customers after each service  Sauces and condiments will be served in individual containers, only one person will be allowed to serve at buffets and the use of digital payments such as credit cards or online payments will be enforced  to avoid customer contact with employees when using cash. Finally, each restaurant will have to comply with strict hygiene standards, such as the use of masks, gloves and disposable suits.