With COVID-19 increasing the demand for online orders and deliveries, and grocery store workers needing to isolate in times of exposure, Dubbo stores are taking necessary steps to manage the growing pressure.
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Steps have been taken in Dubbo by both Coles and Woolworths. Coles has placed a temporary cap on its online orders while Woolworths is sourcing staff from other store locations to work in Dubbo while staffing numbers are down.
On Wednesday afternoon online deliveries for Woolworths Dubbo were completely full and upcoming delivery window slots were, and will continue to be, prioritised for vulnerable community members.
"To ensure vulnerable community members have access to delivery and pick up, we have stood up our Priority Assistance service," a Woolworths spokesperson said.
"Both delivery and pick up windows remain available to the broader community, but may not be available on the usual same or next day basis due to the higher than usual demand.
"We thank our customers for their patience as our personal shoppers and delivery drivers work round the clock to meet all the extra demand."
Woolworths had also sourced staff from other stores across NSW, asking voluntary staff members to travel to Dubbo to work in our stores on specific days.
The staff members would then have to follow stay-at-home orders once they returned home but would be allowed to continue working.
The same demand can be seen at Coles Dubbo which has also had a high volume of online orders coming in for Click and Collect.
"We know that for some customers, coming into our stores may not be possible and we are seeing increased demand for Coles Online," a Coles spokesperson said.
"We are working hard to increase Coles Online capacity, however we have temporarily capped the number of Click and Collect orders available in Dubbo to help our team members fulfil orders and continue to assist customers shopping in store.
"We understand this has caused some frustration and we appreciate our customers' patience during this time."
Coles has, however, given praise to Dubbo community members for their compliance to the COVID-19 restrictions at play.
"We have been pleased to see customers complying with the measures that are in place to continue to keep our team members and customers safe," the spokesperson said.
"We ask all customers to check in every time they visit one of our stores.
"QR code posters are located at the front of the store, in-store on sanitiser stations, and at the checkout so customers can check in at any time while they do their shopping."
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Taylor Dodge
Your story matters, your voice deserves to be heard and I would love to help you share it. I have five years of experience as a Journalist with Australian Community Media covering an array of topics, with a key focus on breaking news and crime and a passion for people. E: taylor.dodge@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Your story matters, your voice deserves to be heard and I would love to help you share it. I have five years of experience as a Journalist with Australian Community Media covering an array of topics, with a key focus on breaking news and crime and a passion for people. E: taylor.dodge@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
