The new in-store shopping experience at Habitat ReStore
It has been a busy two months navigating a responsible path forward for Habitat for Humanity GTA’s ReStore amidst COVID-19. We have been quickly adapting our operations to best serve our customers, donors, and our mission, with health and safety first and foremost in mind during these rapidly changing times.
Here’s a timeline of the steps we have taken thus far:
- On March 16th, we made the decision to temporarily close our 13 Habitat ReStore locations to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 throughout the community.
- On April 11th, we launched online shopping through habitatrestore.ca with safe work procedures based on guidance from Health Canada and Ontario Public Health. Learn more here.
What’s next for Habitat ReStore?
Since temporarily closing our stores on March 16th, our team has been working diligently to put together a safe and well-thought-out reopening strategy. With the announcement of hardware and safety supply stores being permitted to open for in-store payment and purchases, we have begun activating our plan with the reopening of six of our Habitat ReStore locations on Wednesday, May 13th. Our planning has been based on best practices and procedures for retail safety, in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s Guidance Document for Essential Workplaces and occupational health and safety requirements.
Our 10 Habitat ReStore locations reopening on May 13th include:
- Brampton (268 Rutherford Road South, Unit #3)
- East York (155 Bermondsey Rd. Toronto)
- Markham West (7701 Woodbine Ave.)
- North York (1120 Caledonia Rd. Toronto)
- Studio District (3 Carlaw Ave. Toronto)
- Vaughan (2180 Steeles Ave. West. Concord)
- Oshawa (200 John St. W.) – Open May 21
- Uxbridge (141 Reach St.) – Open May 22
- Woodbridge (551 Cityview Blvd.) – Open May 26
- Newmarket (16715 Yonge St, Unit C) – Open May 26
The health and safety of our community are of the utmost importance. Shopping online via habitatrestore.ca remains the preferred option to purchase Habitat ReStore items. In accordance with our contact-less shopping experience, all in-store purchases will be processed online with the use of the customer’s mobile phone or a customer-facing laptop provided by the store.
If you choose to visit us for in-store shopping, please be advised of the following customer guidelines:
- All customers must wear a mask or facial covering while inside our stores.
- All customers must maintain a physical distance of two metres from staff and fellow patrons.
- We accept credit cards only, with all payments processed online via habitatrestore.ca.
- All purchases are final sale.
- Customers may touch only the products they intend to purchase, sitting on furniture is not permitted.
- The wearing of gloves is recommended, but not mandatory.
We take the health and safety of our community very seriously. Our in-store shopping guidelines will adapt as necessary and we will do our best to keep you informed as we continue moving through our response effort. We hope to open our remaining Habitat ReStores soon, to better serve our community and generate much-needed funds to build Habitat homes for working, lower-income families, building a better GTA for everyone.