Or Should I say 2020 is a Blur?

Turn back the hands of time just a few short months and it’s breathtaking how much has changed. I was just thinking back to my vision board for the new year and everything I was excited to do. I had a vacation to Europe planned for May. I had big plans to spend lots of time with my new grandson who lives in Chicago. I was super excited to have a fine, small business that was humming along. I felt blessed. My vision was clear. I could not wait to get this year started.

A few short months ago I shook hands with everyone I met. I had never heard of social distancing. And getting tested meant something...very different. I had never heard of a “wet market” and had no idea where Wuhan was--and I had been to China.

And then a microscopic virus took down the world. It caused death and destruction across the globe. We shut down the economy. And the world of retail and restaurants, I fear, will never get back to normal.

The Fallout

As we already know, we are in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Now we have hundreds of thousands out of work and many families finding they have no place to live. This historic Tsunami has shattered our economic base, and our retailers and restaurants.

Advanced communications and information tech did allow many workplaces to shift to a remote business model in a surprisingly seamless fashion. My small company, CMA, did fine working remotely. But I also know we need the sense of community under one roof again. I know we will be better together, more dynamic and creative. We all start to return after the July 4th holiday. We will socially distance, of course, and work different days together. But this sort of human resilience and capacity to change will impact the entire economy. It is amazing how sophisticated delivery systems enabled by the smartphone brought the grocery store, local restaurants, and bookstores to our doorsteps; the true hero is the Internet.

Our small retailers certainly felt the pinch, but others like Amazon added 125,000 permanent jobs during the pandemic, and Walmart hired more than 235,000 temporary workers. We can get the year back on track if everyone will stop and use their heads before heading out the door. You know the drill: wash your hands, wear a mask, and socially distance. I know I keep writing about this, but there is proven power to these measures. If we close our retailers again over ignorance and stupidity, I do not think they will reopen.

Where will we be at this time next year? Only time will tell.

Looking ahead...the focus has shifted from the shutdown to the best way to un-shutdown.

Source: Retail Dive