Hungerford Bookshop prepares to reopen
"We look forward to welcoming you back on June 15”
GREAT news from Emma Milne-White at our award-winning local independent Hungerford Bookshop “We look forward to welcoming you back on June 15!”
The shop has been ‘open for orders’ during lockdown, handling orders through email and online and delivering them to the doorstep and while many will continue to email, phone and use the website to place orders, from June 15 the High Street shop will be able to open its doors for limited browsing and for orders to be collected and paid for over the counter.
Like other shops the team have been busy developing ways to make customer visits as safe as possible and will have in place some new protection measures including perspex screens on the counters and booksellers wearing visors.
There will be hand sanitiser on the doorstep which visitors will be asked to use on entering and one on the counter before leaving.
“We have decided not to provide disposable gloves. Aside from environmental reasons, we believe that frequent hand washing and using hand sanitiser is more effective. If you sanitise on entry and exit we will create a ‘virtuous circle’ which should mean safe browsing. Please ensure your children use it also.”
To maintain social distancing only two customers will be allowed in the shop at once, although there will be some exceptions such as parents with children.
The second-hand books basement will remain closed initially to help with the flow of customers.
There will be limited opening hours, from 10am to 3pm for the first few weeks, to allow for processing and delivery of orders and cleaning and disinfecting the shop.
If a customer returns a book it will not be put back into stock for 72 hours. And contactless payment is preferred – the limit is now £45.
“We’ll have plenty of signage in the bookshop to help,” says Emma, “but we have faith that we are all pretty used to the rules by now and much of it is just common sense.
“We are so looking forward to seeing our customers again. And despite the above measures we hope to remain a friendly and welcoming place. Do keep your orders coming in in the meantime!”
