Agway of Cape Cod plans to close their three locations on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to mark their Employee Appreciation Day and allow their 94 employees a paid holiday in celebration of continued perseverance through the past year.
Agway stores initially closed their doors to indoor customer foot traffic in March in response to recommendations from Governor Baker in his public statement announcing emergency action to address COVID-19.
“Although we were deemed an essential business by the state and could have kept the doors open, we thought it safest to close them as we prepared for the new safety measures,” says Jessica Thomas, co-owner of Agway.
As a retail business in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, Agway was approaching what is traditionally their busiest time of the year, the spring growing season. Every decision turned into a major decision, Thomas said.
“We wanted to be there for our valued customers but we needed to be there for our employees,” she said. “Above all else, health and safety considerations guided our choices. We worked really hard to implement the proper protocols and to train our staff before making the decision to re-open. March, April and May saw a major shift in operations and protocols and our team rolled with it all like absolute champs.”
Working as a team Agway developed an e-commerce platform and call-in ordering system to allow for
curbside pickup. The store managers, warehouse crew and floor team communicated and coordinated efforts and helped drive success. “We were able to respond pretty quickly to the demands of Cape Cod’s spring gardening
season,” Thomas recalls. “Once we found our groove, we were able to fill orders in less than 24 hours or
even just a few hours. We owe our success to the employees that pulled together and made that
happen.”
The owners give credit to the team in transforming the stores into a safe shopping environment, implementing traffic flow guidelines, extensive cleaning routines and other measures.
“The outpouring of support from the community has been amazing–our
customers have kept us busy, and we are thankful for every time they’ve chosen to shop local for
garden, lawn and pet needs,” adds co-owner Josh Wile. “It’s made a huge impact on our business. Our employees have come to work every day ready to take on new challenges with such a positive attitude.”
