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DeCicco & Sons, which has nine locations in Westchester, was celebrated by Supermarket News for “quickly becoming a model of how to operate a business during COVID-19."
When the pandemic first struck, DeCicco & Sons was quick to limit the number of shoppers allowed in the store, staggering their entrance and exit from markets, which occasionally led to lines out the doors as patrons waited to shop.
To keep shoppers safe in the store, DeCicco & Sons rearranged aisles to allow for more space while limiting the accessibility of some items that could have been contaminated with COVID-19.
DeCicco & Sons was among the first in the area to have employees wear masks and PPE, as well as installing plexiglass barriers at cash registers. The markets also allotted specific shopping hours for seniors and vulnerable shoppers before that became common.
Many of the safety precautions taken by DeCicco & Sons, including social distance protocols and mandatory face coverings, later became mandated by the government and have become regular practices.
In addition to proactively enacting its safety protocols, DeCicco & Sons was also highlighted for expanding its online ordering, curbside pickup, and delivery services. It also chose not to make price adjustments in February, a month before the virus began rapidly spreading throughout Westchester.
Currently, the DeCicco family operates markets in Ardsley, Armonk, Brewster, Harrison, Larchmont, Millwood, Pelham, and Somers.
“Continuing to adapt, and delivering on our values and our commitment to our customers has required the focus of our entire team,” John DeCicco Jr. said in the report. “That work isn’t over, it continues daily.
“We know that we need to maintain our vigilance, even as the warm weather and greatly reduced infection rate in New York has led to a certain amount of complacency or COVID fatigue in the general public.”
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