SM Retail stores assure shoppers that their safety and convenience remain a top priority amid efforts to reopen the economy reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. SM Retail is comprised of The SM Store and other specialty brands such as Kultura, SM Appliance Center, Our Home, Baby Company, Surplus Shop, Toy Kingdom, and Pet Express, among others.
As the government continues to ease restrictions to buoy efforts to revive the economy, these stores have implemented stringent measures to ensure the wellbeing of their employees and customers. SM Retail stores are regularly cleaned and disinfected. Shoppers must go through temperature check and must wear their face mask and face shield before going inside the facilities.
Public areas such as aisles and escalators are marked and access points are controlled to regulate the number of entrants and promote the practice of physical distancing. Shopping carts and baskets are regularly sanitized. Hand sanitizers and hand soaps are available in strategic locations, ensuring that both customers and employees are practicing proper hand hygiene.
Sales personnel follow a prescribed distance when dealing with customers. SM Retail stores also take part in Trace Together, the contact tracing initiative of The SM Group of Companies as a response to the government’s effort to fight the spread of COVID-19. SM Retail stores also remind their employees and shoppers about precautionary measures to fight COVID-19 through physical and digital information materials. Signages at store entrances remind shoppers to follow guidelines for their own safety.
The same stringent measures are implemented in the back offices of SM Retail. All employees and service providers of SM Retail undergo regular COVID-19 testing. This is to rule out any potential COVID-19 cases in the company premises. Employees get their temperature checked three times during their shift and must also accomplish a health survey daily. They must wear face mask and other applicable PPEs (personal protective equipment) while at work.
Office spaces have also been reconfigured to promote physical distancing among employees. SM Retail is implementing a hybrid strategy to reach and provide convenience to its customers. While making sure its stores are safe, SM is also introducing innovations in its retail operations.
“This pandemic has reinforced our commitment to our customers’ safety and convenience; and for us, the need to adapt and transform. Through our hybrid operations in our brick and mortar stores and online platforms, we are building new ways to reach and serve our customers,” said Chito Manalo, President of SM Retail Inc.
Exemplifying this hybrid approach is Shop SM, SM’s own e-commerce platform, which complements the offerings of SM’s physical stores and brings the SM experience online. With just a few clicks, shoppers can purchase their essentials and favorite items from The SM Store, SM Markets and other specialty brands from the comforts of their own home.
Through its Click and Collect and Get & Go options, shoppers may also opt to order online and pick up their items at SM. The SM Store’s Call To Deliver is another exciting retail innovation. Shoppers can choose from a wide range of items and just call the hotline #143SM (#14376), coordinate with their personal shopper assigned to them, and have their purchases delivered to their doorsteps.
Aside from its commitment to continue giving the exceptional SM experience in its physical stores, online platforms and hybrid offerings, SM is also dedicated to ensure the safety of its customers and employees, all in the effort to win the fight against COVID-19.
