Rules shoppers must follow after stores reopened today, including one-way systems and no changing rooms

SHOPPERS will not be allowed to try on clothes, make-up and testing products after non-essential shops began reopening today.  Tough new social distancing measures also include hand sanitiser for staff and customers, quarantining of returned items and staggering times for click and collect orders.  Stores are also limiting the number of customers and one-way systems […]

SHOPPERS will not be allowed to try on clothes, make-up and testing products after non-essential shops began reopening today. 

Tough new social distancing measures also include hand sanitiser for staff and customers, quarantining of returned items and staggering times for click and collect orders. 

Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

Stores are also limiting the number of customers and one-way systems will also be set up through shops, Michael Gove MP told BBC Breakfast last month.

It follows the announcement from Boris Johnson that outdoor markets and car showrooms in England were able to get back to business from June 1.

Meanwhile, all other non-essential shops are now allowed to reopen their doors after the next phase was initiated on Monday, June 15 to help struggling high streets get back up and running.

This includes shops selling clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books, and electronics, plus tailors, auction houses, photography studios, betting shops and indoor markets.

Other businesses allowed to reopen include charity shops and gift shops at museums or heritage sites.

Betting shops and arcades, retail art galleries, mobile phone stores and craft fairs will also be able to trade again from next month.

Businesses will only be able to open from these dates once they have completed a risk assessment in consultation with trade union representatives or workers.

They must also ensure they meet the government’s Covid-19 health and safety measures.

But once open, they’ll also look very different from the shops we remember.

Mr Gove explained: “As these stores reopen, it is a new normal, and this will allow us to ensure a wider range of goods and also enable the economy to return to a new normal.”

Here’s what shoppers could find based on the measures the government says retailers should consider.

1. Limits on numbers in stores

As we’ve already seen in supermarkets, non-essential shops will also have limits on customer numbers in stores and in shopping centres in general.

People will also be encouraged to shop alone.

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of trade body the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) told The Sun: “The first thing customers will notice is that a shop will not be packed with people as retailers will limit the numbers in a shop at any one time; in a small shop this may mean only one or two customers at any one time.

“Even a large shop of 2,000 square metres may only have 20 customers as a maximum. As a result, customers will be faced with queues, and ultimately ‘queue fatigue’ will be a concern for retailers.”

Aldi use a traffic light system at store entrances to limit the number of people inside branches.

This is on top of Aldi’s existing measures including protective screens at checkouts, distancing markers on shop floors, sanitisation stations for customers as well as signage to offer clear guidance on how to shop safely.

Shops will also need to make make sure air conditioning systems don’t automatically reduce ventilation levels due to lower than normal levels of people in stores.

2. Cleaner stores and hand sanitiser stations for shoppers and staff

Shops will need to encourage increased handwashing and introduce more handwashing facilities for workers and customers, or hand sanitiser stations where this isn’t possible.

Retailers will also need to frequently clean objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, including self-checkouts, trolleys, coffee machines and betting terminals.

Mr Gove said: “It is important we have high quality hygiene, and ensure everything from the provision of hand sanitiser to overnight hygiene is of the highest level.”

But this could lead to a less personal shopping experience. Mr Goodacre explained: “Shops will be cleaner with an even greater focus on hygiene.

“Shopping will be less personal, less ‘touch and feel’ and less social and retailers will need to find ways of addressing these issues with good customer communications to manage their expectations.”

Where shop staff fall ill with Covid-19 or suspected symptoms they will have to self-isolate at home as usual, but there’s no requirement for shops themselves to close as long as they keep cleanliness to the government’s standards.

3. One-way systems

One-way systems will be used where possible and shops and shopping centres are to consider how customers can safely enter, exit and queue both inside and outside when reopening.

Mr Gove added: “It is appropriate when shops reopen that we have social distancing, we know already that it is possible to sell goods, it’s possible for people to get the goods they need and do so while respecting social distancing.”

Tom Ironside, director of business and regulation at the British Retail Consortium (BRC) added: “Retailers are working hard to ensure that they can reopen safely in June.

“This will mean implementing social distancing measures necessary to protect customers and staff. These might include placing screens at counters, cleaning self-scan machines and using floor markings to manage the flow of traffic in stores.”

4. No trying on clothes

When you go into clothes shops, you’ll notice that fittings rooms will be closed.

Where fitting rooms are essential, for example to support key workers buying critical protective clothing, they should be cleaned frequently, typically between each use.

Shop workers are no longer able to help shoppers trying on items.

5. No testing products before buying

You won’t be able to get your hands on the latest iPhone or test whether you like the way a sofa feels before you buy.

That’s because larger items, such as beds or sofas, should have protective coverings over them, while retailers will limit the testing of other products.

Boots, for example, has today said it will temporarily remove make-up testers from stores and scrap face to face consultations instead using personalised online video consultations instead.

Other rules could also see a rotation of stock that is frequently touched.

Mr Gove said: “We need to ensure that some of the shopping habits people might have grown used to in the pre-covid days are habits we all exercise a degree of restraint on.

“So when it comes to touching and testing goods, when it comes to trying on clothing, trying on makeup and so on, all of us exercise restraint in not doing that.”

6. Returns can’t go onto the shop floor for 72 hours

Lots of major retailers stopped accepting returns during lockdown, saying they wanted to wait until stores were allowed to reopen.

But once reopened, the government says shops should set up “no contact” return procedures where customers take return goods to a designated area.

Items that have been returned, donated or bought in for repair should be stored for 72 hours before being put back out on the shop floor.

Contactless refunds should also be offered where possible.

Martyn James, consumer rights expert at complaints tool Resolver, told The Sun: “Now shops are reopening I’d encourage shoppers to check online and see what their latest refunds guidance is.

“But don’t feel pressured to return items in store if you’re worried about safety. The business should still allow you to return goods by post as per its usual returns guidelines.”  

Under consumer rights rules, shoppers can return goods purchased online within 14 days, while goods purchased in stores can be returned for a repair, replacement or refund if faulty.

All other returns policies are at the discretion of the retailer and the government says this will continue when shops reopen.

But Gary Rycroft, a solicitor and partner at Joseph A Jones & Co told us the government should consider extending current returns rules given shoppers won’t be able to try before they buy.

He said: “In light of Covid-19 it makes sense for customers not to be able to try on clothes and pick up portable electrical items, but likewise the government should extend consumer rights legislation, so that for instance the right we already have to return goods (and services) purchased online within 14 days should also apply to goods bought in person in retail outlets.

“At the moment there is no automatic legal right of return for goods purchased in store, even though many responsible retailers do themselves offer this to customers.”

7. Staggered collection times

Where shoppers have items to collect, retailers should stagger collection times with a queuing system in place to ensure a safe distance of two meters.

Shops should also put in place pick-up and drop-off collection points where possible, rather than passing goods hand-to-hand.

8. Posters in shop windows

Shops should consider putting posters in shop windows explaining the rules.

Mr Goodacre told us he expects to see shoppers stay local to begin with. “To begin with a visit to the shops is likely be more functional rather than spontaneous,” he said.

“We expect customers to stay more local due to restrictions on public transport and this should help the smaller, local retail businesses.”

9. Punishments for shops flouting rules

Shops flouting coronavirus guidelines will be punished, Mr Johnson yesterday warned.

Local authorities will be allowed to carry out spot checks and follow up on concerns raised by members of the public.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of trade body the BRC, said: “Safety is the fundamental concern for all retailers and they have been working hard to implement the necessary measures to operate safely over the past weeks.” 

Mr Goodacre added: “Independent retailers have been preparing to re-open since the idea of opening as of June 1 was first mentioned.

“Many retailers have measures in place that will keep both employees and customers safe.”

Lifting lockdown measures

Non-essential shops reopened on June 15 for the first time since lockdown began on March 23

Previously only retailers selling essential items such as food and and DIY products were allowed to remain open during lockdown.

Garden centres and homeware stores opened their doors again in May.

Fast-food chains have also begun reopening for takeaway orders only. They were allowed to remain open during lockdown for takeaways but many initially shut their doors while they worked out how to operate safely during the epidemic.

Hairdressers, nail bars, beauty salons, and the hospitality sector, remain closed until at least July 4.