L........1

I’d give zero stars if I could. Your company’s response to this pandemic is abysmal. I’ve been coming here for almost 4 months now. This was my first visit since social distancing measures were adopted by the state 2 weeks ago. I ordered via curbside pickup so I thought I’d be there and back. The problem was I failed to switch my dispensary; so upon my arrival they offered that I could go inside and it would probably take less time to switch me on their iPad; so in I went. Inside the dispensary, there was NO ATTEMPT MADE by any of the staff to abide by ANY social distancing guidelines. In the waiting room the girl helping me, who incidentally wasn’t wearing a mask, got close enough to hand me the iPad and stood there helping me navigate; which in any other time would’ve been appreciated. The women ‘checking me in’ encouraged me to come right up to the counter. Customers were coming and going, interacting with each other like it was ‘business as usual ‘. A peek inside the dispensary room was surreal. Customers paying were interacting with staff 2 or less feet away. Customers were lined up oblivious to need to distance. Staff were talking and laughing like it was any other normal day. But it is not, is it? I do recognize the need for people to stay positive in the midst of this crisis; but with such flagrant disregard for your customer’s health we customers tend to interpret joyful interactions as a slap in the face in the absence of measures to protect us. I’ll be happy to smile and be pleasant from 6 feet away; interacting with someone wearing a mask, thank you. The curbside pickup is of course intended for those wanting to avoid a trip inside. For this you’re to be applauded; however even this service is lacking. Cars aren’t staggered in the lot which means I was parked right next to someone who was 3 feet away with their window open. We were asked to arrive at 5 and got there 5 minutes late; tried texting the dispensary to inform them but I didn’t get a response and by the time we arrived our #3 spot in the parking lot was taken. All of this resulted in having to interact more with your staff who were not masked or observing any of the guidelines. Your manager stated the dispensary hasn’t been ‘required to’ tape off it’s floors and maintain social distancing. This is a lousy and insulting answer. It bothered me even more after I arrived home and reflected on all this. COVID 19 will no doubt challenge all of us to get creative in how we conduct business going forward. The essential nature of businesses staying open during this pandemic shouldn’t mean a free pass to conduct ‘business as usual’ during these highly changing times. The young people employed by you of course feel invincible and that mindset is understandable— any adult today has no doubt felt this way when they were young. We are, however, living in unprecedented times. The spread of COVID 19 by asymptomatic people means this is everyone’s responsibility; no one is immune. So I’ll choose to ignore the eye roll from your staff as I asked her to back up so I can place my money on the counter. Instead I’ll ask the obvious question: why hasn’t the dispensary’s owners implemented these procedures designed to make everyone safe? Implementing them would no doubt be tricky logistically because of the size of the place. One can only assume they’ve not been implemented because it would effect the company’s bottom line. If this is the way this company conducts it’s business going forward; I’ll choose to conduct my business elsewhere. A company’s values are reflected in the care, concern and appreciation for it’s customers. There was none of that on display yesterday for customers at Zen Leaf in St. Charles.