“My One Staffer/One Shopper bill would help enhance the
safety of customers and workers,” Roae said. “Pennsylvanians could shop at
small stores with one worker and no other customers, rather than going to large
grocery chains or big box stores with dozens of workers and hundreds of
customers.”
Gov. Tom Wolf recently enacted a statewide shutdown of all
businesses he deemed non-life-sustaining enterprises. The administration at
first provided a waiver application process, but it shut that down weeks ago.
Roae’s One Staffer/One Shopper bill would allow a retail
business staffed by one employee to open for business as long as it allowed
only one customer into the store at a time. Roae’s bill would enable shoppers
to visit smaller venue retailers and avoid the larger crowds often present at
big box stores.
“A customer could go into a store and interact with one
other person, rather than possibly coming into contact with hundreds of people
at larger retail stores,” Roae said.
Roae’s bill specifically would prevent the governor from
closing retail stores that comply with his one-staffer, one-shopper rule.
Roae’s One Staffer/One Shopper bill also would enable small
retailers to offer curbside pickup service for customers. The governor this
week enabled state liquor stores to begin offering curbside pickup service.
“If curbside pickup service is good enough for government
liquor stores, it should be good enough for Pennsylvania’s small businesses,”
Roae said. “This is an issue of fairness and access for customers.”
Roae’s House Bill 2376 now heads to the Senate for
consideration.
