COVID-19 Update: Safe Shopping

Is It Safe To Shop In Person Yet?

Many states, as well as many jewelers, are reopening. That’s good news.

Or at least, it would seem to be good news. Not everyone is cheering. Mall traffic is “way down.” Shoppers remain nervous. And if COVID-19 again starts to spread in a big away, we risk another forced lock-down or perhaps a de facto lock-down, as people will be afraid to leave their homes.

There is still debate about whether certain states or jurisdictions have jumped the gun, if others are waiting too long, or how things should be handled when everything reopens. Nobody truly knows the answers to those questions yet—just like we don’t know the answers to all the questions about COVID-19. It’s still a new disease. And we’ve had limited experience with pandemics.

Different Opinions

What we do know is that people are starting to have very different opinions on these questions, as any look at social media will tell you. At the start of the crisis, the theme was “we’re in all this together.” No one believes that anymore. In the last month or so, it’s been clear that the United States is as un-“together” as ever. People see these issues from different frames of reference.

This is not the forum to debate those issues. (Please do not debate in the comments.) If you’re someone who has had to dip into your savings to get by, or COVID-19 hasn’t been a problem in your area, or you listen to certain news sources, you may see things one way. If you live in an area that’s been ravaged by this disease, or you’re a white-collar worker who can do your job from home, or you look at certain news sources, you may see things another way.

Our news sources are particularly fractured now, and views differ even over things once considered important, such as science or official death counts.

What brings this up is information from China. Experts say that, in most—but not all—Chinese cities, mall traffic is now up to 90% from where it was pre-COVID-19. Last week, some Chinese luxury brands had their best week ever.

In many ways, China has an advantage here—it has had experience with epidemics before, so there is a general acceptance of wearing masks and social distancing. And, of course, even if citizens don’t agree with those measures, they have little recourse: China isn’t a democracy. The government is the sole source of information, whether or not it’s the sole source of truth.

What Is Boggs Jewelers Doing To Keep You Safe?

Here, there is a lot less comfort that COVID-19 is under control. Plus, the United States is never going to be China. It is a divided country, sometimes bitterly so. Our democracy requires us to be more educated and aware. Our staff, at Boggs, wear masks now and invite customers to wear masks also. We are asking for customers to maintain a 6′ distance between other customers, and are vigilant about disinfecting counters, door handles and other places where staff and customers touch. We want you to feel safe while shopping in our store.

If you don’t feel safe coming into the store you can always shop on our website by clicking here.