LIHU‘E — Macy’s at the Kukui Grove Center will be opening its doors, Friday starting at 11 a.m.
Following a period of closure starting March 18 due to concerns about COVID-19 and to protect the health and safety of the store’s customers, colleagues, and the community, Macy’s opening is one of the many events that signal Kukui Grove’s return to what Andrew Chapman, the manager of Starbucks Coffee describes as “the new normal.”
Macy’s guests will be greeted by new guidelines and store operating procedures that will result in no fitting rooms, no restroom facilities, and a new curbside pickup program based on the new guidelines that require face masks be worn, a six-foot distance social distancing requirement, and minimal contact.
“We want people to wear face masks inside, and outside of stores,” said Melissa McFerrin-Warrack, the Kukui Grove’s specialty leasing and events manager. “A lot of the new health and safety guidelines overlap the rules set up by the shopping center to protect everyone. These were established following the guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control.”
The new store operating hours for Macy’s is from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., daily.
Macy’s guests may also enjoy the new parking set up for curbside pickup and quick shopping outside the Women’s Wear entrance. Curbside pickup is simple and is no-contact. A shopper simply gets on the Macy’s website, and clicking the Curbside tab indicates whether an item is available for curbside pickup. Once an order is placed, the shopper enters the pickup parking stall, calls a special phone number that is constantly monitored, verifies the purchase, and opens the car’s trunk. A Macy’s representative will bring the item to the car and place it in the trunk, or if no trunk, then inside the passenger door — no contact.
“We are coming back, slowly and in stages,” McFerrin-Warrack said. “Last week, the Jeans Warehouse opened, and on Monday, Famous Footwear opened to welcome shoppers. Starting Thursday, Starbucks Coffee will have more established hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and for the first time since COVID-19 closures, will be allowing customers in the store.”
Chapman, who brings more than 25 years of experience with Starbucks, said there will be no sitting to enjoy the order, and there will be no restroom facilities available.
“We’re measuring out the store because only a certain number of people can be let in,” Chapman said. “We’ll still keep the mobile ordering and pickup stations so we can let others in.”
McFerrin-Warrack said other eating establishments in the shopping center are still restricted to take out with the shopping center’s dine-in area in the food court still closed. Additional efforts have been extended to improve the health and sanitation throughout the center.
DoU, a new tenant owned by Melisa Garcia, will be offering a preview of the body, mind, and soul strengthening whole-body shop where current exercise classes are Zoomed. Garcia will be available to talk to people interested in the classes as well as provide information on the benefits of the strengthening program, Saturday from 10 a.m. to closing.
Ross Dress for Less is also scheduled to open its doors, Sunday to health and safety guidelines, including the wearing of face masks, limited shoppers within the store, one-way shopping aisles, social distancing, and the availability of sanitizers for customer and carts.
Open for what? torture? When physical separation and masks are done away with then it will be open
Mark my words. The normalization of mask wearing will have grave consequences for our society.
Are you sure people will come and shop? Nobody has any money. They have been laid off for some time now. I don’t thing you will see a rush to buy new clothes syndrome. It will be pretty darn slow. Unless the locals are just hacking away at their credits and not paying it back. But I think that is the exception.