During the lockdown, we will be featuring St Hilda's Old Girls who are working at the forefront of essential services. Today we hear from Julie Moyle, owner of Fresh Choice supermarket in Green Island, Dunedin.
"As the threat of Covid-19 came closer to our shores, the people came in their masses. Along with my husband, I own a suburban supermarket in Dunedin.
The announcement of Level 3 and imminent arrival of Level 4 saw grocery retail go crazy. And it simply hasn’t let up.
We have delivered orders for over fifty years, but last year we become the first Dunedin owned/operated supermarket to implement Click and Collect. This has been an absolute godsend in discouraging people from leaving their homes unnecessarily. As a result of this demand, we have had to change our store hours temporarily to meet the needs of online ordering, and have two vehicles on the road delivering. We have security on our door during opening hours and our staff have been pushed to their limits.
We have kept most of our workforce of 75, with only those unable to get childcare and with compromised health being on leave. We have implemented everything Worksafe and the Government have requested - with great difficulty at times - and police all of these implementations internally.
The overused word really is the only way to explain it: unprecedented. But in these times we are proud of our amazing staff being able to continue to serve our community as our family business has for over 80 years."