Michaels Launches Contactless Same-Day Delivery, Other COVID-19 Retail News

Here are the latest stories to emerge as retailers and brands deal with the impact that the global spread of the coronavirus has had on their businesses. This daily update offers retail executives the chance to stay-up-to-date on all that's happening within the retail industry, particularly as they put into motion their own COVID-19 response plans.

• Michaels is expanding its product delivery options with the nationwide rollout of same-day delivery at select U.S. stores, according to a press release sent to Total Retail. Michaels will launch the new contactless delivery option on Fri., April 17, beginning in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and North Carolina, and continuing nationally the following week. Same-day delivery expands Michaels customers’ delivery and pick-up options and enables social distancing through contactless deliveries. Customers, including home-based small businesses, teachers using virtual classrooms, and do-it-yourselfers will continue to have the choice of the ship-to-home service at michaels.com, or curbside pickups at participating stores.
• Global workwear brand Dickies, in partnership with its parent company, VF Corporation, today announced that it is further supporting the fight against COVID-19 by manufacturing FDA-compliant isolation gowns for hospitals and healthcare workers. These high-demand personal protective equipment (PPE) garments will be distributed to communities throughout the U.S. in cooperation with federal and state government leaders. Dickies is leveraging VF Corporation’s global supply chain and capabilities by converting several manufacturing facilities to produce urgently needed PPE garments. VF Corporation and Dickies expect to produce and deliver 50,000 gowns in May, and intend to create production capacity to make up to 675,000 gowns by June and up to 3.4 million by September.
• In a video interview with Total Retail's sister brand, Women in Retail Leadership Circle, Michelle Farabaugh, former chief marketing officer of Harry & David, shares her four keys to leadership in times of crisis.
• Starting Sunday, Best Buy will furlough about 51,000 employees. The decision will impact nearly all of its part-time store employees and some of its full-time store employees in the U.S., according to a news release. About 82 percent of Best Buy's full-time employees who work in stores or in the field, such as the Geek Squad employees, will continue to be paid. Best Buy saw a sales surge as the pandemic sparked demand for items that help people work from home, students attend school remotely, and families stockpile and cook larger quantities of food. In recent weeks, however, Best Buy’s sales have dropped off. The company said it’s seen more demand for some items, such as gaming devices, but has had a sales decline of 30 percent since March 21.