San Francisco Retail Shops Reopen Today with Curbside Pickup

Photo from Dog Eared Books

I got an encouraging email last week from one of my favorite bookstores in San Francisco. Dog Eared Books sent out a press release letting the world know that starting today, Monday, May 18th, they would be open for curbside pickup. This means that customers can now order books by phone or through their website, and then pick them up.

While this obviously doesn’t hold the same joy as browsing the stacks for an hour before finally deciding what to buy, it’s a great opportunity to support a local business while we wait for things to more fully open up.

This is all part of California’s 4 part plan to reopen. Today San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin counties join Napa, Solano, and Sonoma (who opened up retail last week) in Stage 2 of the plan. Alameda and Contra Costa counties are predicted to follow suit later this week.

So what does this all mean? I’m so glad you asked!

According to SFGate:

Newsom has given several sectors statewide permission to open, including curbside-pickup retail and office space where teleworking isn’t possible. At the end of Stage 2, restaurants with dine-in service and schools can reopen with social-distancing measures in place.

I’ve already seen friends in Auburn, CA dining in a restaurant on Instagram, so it’s likely that we will be able to do the same in coming weeks as long as new cases of COVID-19 stay down. This of course means that eateries will have to operate within the new system of safety guidelines laid out by the state. Whether or not restaurants in the Bay Area can afford to operate with such a diminished seating capacity is an entirely different story, and not likely happy one.

That said, it’s good news that retailers can now do curbside pickup. As Mayor London Breed said in a statement last week, “Allowing retail to operate storefront pick-up is a great step for our small businesses, which have been struggling since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.” She also noted that businesses “won’t be able to operate like they used to, but this hopefully offers a measure of support.”

The SF Department of Public Health has laid out new rules for business operation including a limit on 10 store employees on-site at any time, and that a six foot distance must be maintained. You can view all the guidelines right here.

In the meantime, stay safe, stay sane, wear a mask, and wash your damn hands.