COVID-19 store updates

COVID-19 Store info

COVID-19 FAQ

• When selling age-restricted products, what is your policy for customers’ wearing face coverings?

  Following recent CDC guidance and for their own safety in public, we understand that many of our customers either prefer to or need to wear face coverings . However, for the sale of our age-restricted products, our store associates may need to request photo identification from a customer as proof of age. In this case, customers will be asked to remove briefly their face coverings and maintain social distancing to verify identification. Following that, the mask can return to covering the customer’s face.

• How are you supporting first responders and health care workers?

  We are proud to have given over 2 million FREE beverages to first responders during the COVID-19 crisis. We will continue to offer free coffee, tea and Polar Pop to all our store members, first responders and healthcare workers that are helping in our communities through June 30th . We are grateful for their continued dedication and hope that this small gesture will help make their day a little easier.

• Why did you stop accepting reusable cups?

  To reduce the risk of contamination, we temporarily suspended the use of reusable cups for dispensed beverages during this COVID- 19 crisis, while we were reinforcing our cleaning and sanitization procedures throughout the store. Where allowed by local jurisdiction, we have begun to reintroduce the use of reusable cups, as we fully support customers who want to reduce their environmental footprint.

• How have you partnered with Feeding America® during the COVID-19 pandemic?

  With more Americans turning to food banks for nourishing food and other essentials, we partnered with Feeding America® to initially donate 25 million meals to food banks across the Feeding America® network. Within 3 weeks, we had already achieved our target, and so we extended our commitment to 40 million meals!

  For every fuel transaction made at a Circle K, one meal is donated to a local member food bank of the Feeding America network. We are committed to doing our part to support our local communities.

  Feeding America®, is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, with a network including 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs. For more information, check out: https://www.circlek.com/feedingamerica

• What is your store closure policy if one of your employees tests positive for COVID-19?

  Circle K is committed to keeping its stores operating as we know our customers rely on us more than ever for fuel, emergency items and every day necessities during this unprecedented crisis. The health and safety of our customers and employees is our key priority, and we are going the extra mile to keep our stores clean. If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19, that store will be closed as we complete advanced cleaning and sanitization. We will do our very best to keep you informed via our website and social channels.

• What is Circle K doing to protect employees and customers during the COVID-19 crisis?

  At Circle K, the health and safety of our employees and customer is our key priority. We are carefully following the guidelines of the World Health Organization as well as federal and provincial health authorities and have dedicated teams in place who are following their advice.

  In many areas where we operate, our stores have been designated as part of the critical emergency infrastructure, and we are staying open and true to our mission of making our customer’s lives a little easier every day – even difficult days. We have also done much work to increase even further the safety at our locations including:

  
  • Stringent cleaning measures several times daily anywhere hands may go from surfaces, screens, pumps, restrooms and more.
  • Increasing safety, hygiene, and packaging around food and beverages
  • Installing clear barriers at cash registers to protect customers and employees from coughs, sneezes or other possible exposure
  • Reinforcing best hygiene practices through digital media and display screens at registers
  • Marking stores for social distancing at the checkout line

  Our store employees are on the front-line of this crisis, and we have put together additional financial and healthcare measures to support them. We know that our customers are coming to us to buy hygiene and other emergency supplies, and our teams are hard at work to increase our stock to meet your needs.

• Are Circle K stores open?

  We are committed to keeping our stores operating as we know our customers rely on us more than ever for fuel, emergency items and everyday necessities during this unprecedented crisis. While our teams are hard at work to meet those needs, some of our stores have decided to change their hours of operation based on available resources. As the situation evolves, we will do our very best to keep our customers informed via our website and social channels. We thank you for your patience during these trying times.

• How will we be alerted of any store closures or changes to opening hours?

  In the event of any closures or changes to opening hours, we will provide information to customers via our website and social channels.

   

• What are you doing to make sure stores are clean right now with COVID-19?

  We are committed to ensuring a safe work environment for our employees and providing our customers with a safe, clean and friendly experience each time they visit our stores. We have reinforced our cleaning and sanitization procedures with increased numbers of alcohol-based hand sanitizers stations available at our locations for customer and employee use. We have also ensured that all store employees have access to protective gloves with clear guidelines on appropriate usage, and we have increased cleaning supply stocks at all our locations. We have asked all our store teams to go above and beyond to ensure the health and safety of our customers. Additionally, we have taken several measures to educate our employees and customers on best practices to reduce exposure to illness, stressing the importance of:

  
  • Consistent cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched objects and surfaces;
  • Frequent hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds;
  • Avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth;
  • Avoiding close contact with people who are sick;
  • Following best practices for cleaning and for handling of food.

• Should your employees be wearing masks?

  Following recent CDC guidance recommending the wearing of masks in public, we have provided masks to our store employees. Store employees will only be required to wear masks if mandated by local, state or federal jurisdiction. Please know that these are NOT the N95 respirator masks in short supply and needed by healthcare workers. At our stores, masks are worn to add further protection against the spread of COVID-19 in the community. Note: The CDC (US) now recommends the wearing of masks outside of the home.

• Should your employees be wearing gloves?

  Our store teams wear gloves to perform certain tasks, such as preparing food, and this has not changed. We also now permit them to wear gloves at other times, including at the cash register. Our store employees have been provided protective gloves with clear guidelines on appropriate usage, which includes frequent and proper hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after removing gloves, as well as frequent changing of gloves to reduce any possibility of cross-contamination.

• Are you still accepting cash payments in store?

  Circle K is especially mindful to keep serving all our customers in this time of need, regardless of their mode of payment. While health authorities have not recommended that retailers stop accepting cash, we are asking our customers to use debit and credit as much as possible.

• How do you ensure that your stores are stocked with the basic hygiene and food products that customers are looking for during this crisis?

  We know that hygiene supplies and other every day necessities are in high demand right now. Our teams are working hard to restock products on our shelves to ensure our customers can find what they need.

• Are you limiting the quantity of sanitizer, toilet paper or other necessities that customers can buy at a time?

  No, we don’t currently have any company-wide restriction on the number of items our customers can buy at the same time. We know that hygiene supplies and other every day necessities are in high demand, and we are working closely with our suppliers to ensure that we can match the demand for stocks in our stores. This said, we have also authorized our store managers to manage their inventory, including the discretion to limit sales quantities on items that are in unusually high demand.

• Will you increase your prices as products are becoming in short supply?

  We will not raise our prices to try to increase our profits during this crisis, and we have asked our suppliers to delay price increases that were already planned in the coming days. This said, our customers may notice some changes in pricing as the production cost of some items go up. We want you to know that we are hard at work to keep our stores stocked and prices fair.