The coronavirus pandemic has changed how most retail businesses in the St. Louis region operate.
Businesses . And stores across the region are adapting to mask mandates, social distancing measures and sanitizing routines.
These changes have disrupted the normal operational flow for Goodwill stores in the region, said Mark Kahrs, executive vice president of retail at . He explained that stores have seen around 10% more donations than they did last year at this time because people have spending more time at home.
鈥淲e expected a very large increase in donations,鈥� Kahrs said. 鈥淲e were isolating those donations, not digging through them.鈥�
But the increase in product volume has created new challenges because Goodwill stores are operating with less staff, like many other retail, food service and warehouse-based businesses, he said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e putting a lot of labor into just managing the donations,鈥� Kahrs said. 鈥淵ou have to go through all those items and select the right ones.鈥�
The short staffing makes it more difficult for items to make it to store floors as quickly as they could in the past, he said. The pandemic has also cut how many people are visiting Goodwill stores; foot traffic is around 80% of what it was at this point last year, Kahrs added.
Other retail establishments are grappling with lower customer counts too, which translates to lower revenue, said Peter Boumgarden, who teaches strategy and organization at Washington University鈥檚 Olin School of Business.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to do as much as you can to reduce expenses,鈥� he said. "Can we get by with a little less staffing? Can we get by with reducing some hours?鈥�
The other major way Boumgarden sees businesses surviving right now is by transitioning their retail space online.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e an online business or a business that has a significant portion of online that accounts for your revenue, you鈥檙e in a slightly better spot. Although not perfect,鈥� he said.
Boumgarden added moving sales online pits a business against behemoths like Amazon. Just having an online shopping space doesn鈥檛 guarantee a store鈥檚 physical customers will follow, he said.
That鈥檚 true of Derrick Maxwell Sr.鈥檚 typical customers at the in East St. Louis, which sells higher-end clothing.
鈥淢y customers, they鈥檇 rather touch and feel the items,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 shop online, or at least they don鈥檛 shop online at my business.鈥�
For Maxwell, the pandemic has upended his normal customers because of restrictions on other industries, like bars, restaurants and churches. He said most of his customers come to him for outfits for those places.
鈥淓ven if they wanted to shop online, there鈥檚 no place to go,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no weddings, no churches, no restaurants to go to.鈥�
Maxwell is still selling some clothing, but it鈥檚 mostly to families attending funerals.
鈥淭o just get business just for funerals 鈥� people are dying all around you 鈥� it takes a toll on your spirit,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad to serve them, I鈥檓 glad to be there for those people, but it takes a toll on me emotionally.鈥�
He said it鈥檚 important for him to be there to support the East St. Louis community, especially right now.
鈥淧eople that don鈥檛 know me, they鈥檙e surprised to see a Black owner, owning a clothing store such as mine. It brings pride to the community,鈥� he said.
And the pandemic has highlighted the support he receives too. Maxwell said many customers have stopped to check in on him since March.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e itching to support me. I feel their pull for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey haven鈥檛 forgotten about me, they鈥檙e just waiting for a cure and this pandemic to pass us by hopefully.鈥�
Eric Schmid covers the Metro East for 漏 2024 外网天堂 as part of the journalism grant program: , an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Follow Eric on Twitter: