City’s Bay outlets to reopen Monday

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This article was published 07/05/2020 (2143 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After nearly two months closed, Winnipeg Hudson’s Bay stores will be the first locations in the country to reopen on Monday.

A spokeswoman for the Hudson’s Bay Company said more locations in Canada will open in the coming weeks as other provincial reopening strategies take effect. Saskatchewan Bay stores are set to begin operating on May 19.

Customers at stores in downtown Winnipeg, St. Vital Centre and CF Polo Park will notice some changes to their shopping experience.

“(We) have implemented a number of added measures to ensure we deliver a healthy, easy, and comfortable shopping experience,” said Hudson’s Bay president Iain Nairn in a media release published Thursday.

Like other retailers, the Bay has beefed up cleaning practices and placed directional and physical distancing markers on store floors. The department store has also suspended makeup applications and product testing at beauty counters and fitting rooms will be closed for the time being.

Clothing can be returned for a refund within 30-days or 90-days if purchased with a Hudson’s Bay credit card.

Winnipeg locations will be operating with reduced hours from 12 to 5 p.m. daily and will open an hour early on Tuesdays to accommodate seniors, frontline workers and those with disabilities.

While the Hudson’s Bay Company has retained all of its full-time store staff during the closure by accessing the federal government’s wage subsidy program, part-time staff were “granted a leave of absence,” according to the spokeswoman. It’s not clear if Winnipeg part-timers will be returning to work next week when stores reopen.

Curbside pickup for items purchased online will be available locally beginning May 18 and the Bay has extended it return policy by 30 days from the date of reopening for purchases made after Jan. 17.

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney