FAIRVIEW, Ala. – The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many businesses, big and small. Many big box “essential” stores have relied on delivery and curbside pick-up options, along with continued in-store service, for customers, but how have the local small grocers fared?
In Fairview, Hopper’s Family Market and Pharmacy Co-Owner Jimmie Hopper said it’s been rough, but good.
“It’s been rough, my husband (Mike Hopper) has had to go to different vendors to try and get supplies and things we need to keep the meat going and keep it where we need it to be,” she said. “We’ve really had to call our grocer company and we’re struggling to get things back on the shelf. We’ve been pretty well and kept it going except for two days, and that’s when the governor made her announcement and we were wiped out. Other than that, we’ve been, I think our coworkers have really pulled together, worked hard, and you know, we’ve tried.”
She continued, “It’s been a big increase (in business) to the point where, my husband and I come in every morning at 6:30 a.m. We didn’t leave until 8 because I would not leave the rest of our coworkers here. I ran register, trying to keep up. Every time I looked up, the line seemed like it got longer and longer. We’re just trying to all pull together and work really hard and do what we need to do.”
Hopper said the store is following the new health guidelines.
“We try to do our best,” she said. “We have signage up telling customers to stay 6 feet apart; we clean and wipe everything down continuously. Our employees wear gloves. That’s a requirement on our employees up front. Now, some of them choose not to. They have the choice to wear a mask and a face shield; that’s up to them. I have some that do and some that go, ‘No, I’m not wearing them.’ We just try to distance ourselves from customers. We’ve had a lot of customers phoning in and we take (their groceries) to their vehicle for them. We’re just trying to do everything we need to do to protect them.”
Hopper praised her staff.
“I personally appreciate everybody that works here- like I said they’ve all pulled together, worked hard, and I feel like we’ve gained some customers through this who were not aware of us as much until now,” she smiled. “We’ve kept our shelves stocked pretty well. Thankfully, we were able to stay open.”
Hopper’s is located at 7467 Alabama Highway 69 N, Cullman, Alabama 35058.
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