Boscov's to reopen five Southeastern Pennsylvania stores on Saturday

Boscov's is planning to reopen five of its Southeastern Pennsylvania locations this Saturday with reduced shopping hours, hours dedicated to customers more vulnerable to COVID-19, and a number of health and safety guidelines that must be followed. 

The Exeter, Luzerne County-based department chain’s stores in the following locations will reopen this weekend: Exton, Chester County; Media, Delaware County; Bensalem, Bucks County; Plymouth Meeting and Pottstown, Montgomery County. A total of 13 locations across Pennsylvania and Maryland are reopening their doors this weekend.

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In-store shopping hours have been reduced, as Boscov's locations will be open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sundays. From 11 a.m.-12 p.m. on Mondays, customers who are more vulnerable to the coronavirus will only be allowed to shop inside stores. 

All customers and employees are required to wear a face covering while in the store, but people who cannot wear a face mask for medical reasons can enter stores without providing proof. Customers and employees must remain six feet apart at all times and practice social distancing. Capacity limits will also be enforced, the company said.

Each store will have undergone a thorough cleaning before reopening, and strict sanitation practices will be followed in areas such as bathrooms, handrails, door handles, shopping carts, and other frequently-touched surfaces, the company said. 

Individual cash registers will be available across the store to enhance social distancing, and plexiglass screens have been put in place at each station. Each store will have at least one designated entrance, while all other doors will be used strictly for exiting.

Dressing rooms will remain closed, special hygiene guidelines have been installed in the store's cosmetics departments, and all returns must be brought to the courtesy desk.

“We’re excited to welcome you back, but we want to make sure you’re safe,” the company said in a statement on its website.

“As the authorities allow retail stores to reopen, we’re excited to welcome back our loyal customers and grateful for the opportunity to bring many of our furloughed coworkers back to work. But it has to be done safely.”

The reopening of Boscov's five department stores across Southeastern Pennsylvania comes as the region will move from the red phase to the yellow phase on Friday as part of the state’s reopening plan amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During the yellow phase, in-person retail sales can resume.