New opening hours and further preventive measures at SPAR

SPAR and INTERSPAR stores are open from Monday to Friday averagely between 6:30 and 19 o’clock, on Saturday and Sunday the opening hours differ by each store henceforward, in the meantime measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus continue further.

SPAR Magyarország Kereskedelmi Kft. reconstituted the opening hours on all of their domestic SPAR and INTERSPAR stores concerning the state of emergency and the changes in customer habits. The store units are open from Monday to Friday averagely between 6:30 and 19 o’clock, on Saturday and Sunday the opening hours differ by each stores henceforward. The current opening hours are available on the SPAR website listed by each store: https://www.spar.hu/nyitvatartas-valtozas

Webshop – without cash flow

SPAR modified the operation of webshop as well regarding the current situation. From 17.03.2020 payment for the placed orders is possible now only in advance online. With this step, SPAR would like to decrease the time of personal contact between delivery staff and customers. The decision do not apply for the previously placed orders, the payment of those is carried out by the option determined by the customer earlier. SPAR asks the webshop customers to give information beforehand during ordering, if they request delivery to restricted area because of health reasons, as SPAR colleagues are not allowed to enter into endangered area.
Important news is that from 30.03.2020 SPAR Online Shop, as reacting to the increased order numbers, extends the available time slots. On weekdays, a new time slot becomes available which enables delivery between 22 and 23 o’clock.

Quantitative restrictions entered into force

Regarding the state of emergency ordered by the Hungarian Government, SPAR has taken many extraordinary measures in order to that the supply of food to the population can remain continuous and balanced. SPAR asks for patience and cooperation from its customers in relation to the introduced quantitative restrictions, thus also helping the issue that everybody can get to sufficient food. Concerning the shoppings at the webshop and in stores:
· in case of products in bulk 5 kg/product,
· in case of products sold in pieces 10 pieces/product is the quantity limit per person.

„SPAR cooperating together with its suppliers similar to the recent weeks makes every effort to be able to treat the increased demands. However, it may occur that for shorter periods in some stores the refilling time of certain products because of time required for product supplement can be longer than as usual, therefore we asks for the understanding of our customers. SPAR strongly recommends to the population not to pile up unnecessarily much food at home!” – said Márk Maczelka, Head of Communication at SPAR.

Facilitation in case of contactless payments

During the epidemological state of emergency in the interest of easier and faster payments, in case of contactless card payments the 5000 HUF limit on compulsory use of PIN-code is modified to 15 000 HUF from today. According to this, at payments over 15 000 HUF asks only the credit card terminal the PIN code in the SPAR stores as well. SPAR would like to call the attention to that if the number of successive contactless payments reaches 5 or their amount reaches 150 EUR, the bank that issued the card is obliged to identify the customer, for example by asking the PIN code. Thus it may occasionally happen that the terminal authorizes the payment transactions below the 15 000 HUF limit only by giving the PIN code.

Loyalty reward to the employees

In the last few weeks, SPAR employees testified their high level of commitment and dedication to work, which is rewarded by a new benefit from the store chain. According to the regulation that remains valid until withdrawal, SPAR accounts gross 400 HUF loyalty reward after all hours worked to employees working in the stores, in the field of logistics and in food production plants, which is transferred to the bank accounts together with the monthly salary. The reward is granted from day of entry to day of exit on each hour actually worked by the employee beginning from 16th March 2020 until withdrawal. As coronavirus poses high risk to elderly people, from 18th March 2020, SPAR exempts from work its 65-year-old and older employees including those, who reach the age of 65 this year. For the period of measure taken to health protection, SPAR colleagues exempted from work temporarily are entitled to a remuneration suitable for the legislative provision.

Safety of customers and colleagues

SPAR pays special attention also to the safety of its employees and takes every expected measure in the future as well. In the interest of helping the work of employees, SPAR increased
the flexibility of taking breaks to ensure the possibility to wash hands more frequently. SPAR provided to all of their employees gloves and disinfectants and started to settle the plexiglass against breath at the cashdesks that serves the security of both customers and colleagues. Placement of floor stickers has also started that helps to keep distance between each other within the store.

For SPAR, the convenience and safety of customers is highly important and it takes every expected measure not only now, but also in the future. SPAR increased the quantity of their orders on own disinfectants and detergents, and cleaning continues to be extremely thorough in the stores.

SPAR asks their customers countrywide for the followings:
– Pay attention also during shopping to the general recommendations of National Public Health Centre, according to which being in the retail stores the customers do not touch their faces with their hand, especially the lips, nose and eyes!
– Please, follow the hygienic protocol of coughing and breathing! In case of coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with one of your elbows or with a handkerchief, then threw the handkerchief into a closed dustbin as soon as possible! Do not cough or sneeze onto the people being in the stores or onto the placed food products or other products!
– We recommend you not to come to shopping in the peak period!
– We suggest to shop alone!
– Do not take the children with you to shopping as possible!
– If possible, our elderly customers ask for the help of youngsters around them regarding shopping and do not leave their homes if it is not necessary!
– We help our customers at the service counters and cashdesks with floor stickers to keep distance from each other. Please, keep this required distance!
– All breads sold previously without packaging, we offer in packaged form in the SPAR and INTERSPAR stores from now. The fresh products, from which you can select, do not catch with bare hands, use the tool placed for this purpose or a plastic bag in the sales area, possibly a paper bag into which you can wrap the product!