The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all of us and will continue to do so for the coming months. Comprehensive social distancing guidelines have been issued by the government, however, the practical implementation of these guidelines is less clear. As stated by local pharmacist Paul Burns “We’ve never been busier and my staff are at their wit’s end trying to maintain safe practices while delivering our services to the community. In particular, we need a visible and effective method to protect our customers, many of whom are vulnerable, as they wait and queue in our pharmacy”.
Qsafe was born on Friday morning when Paul contacted his local print provider in Bray, Absolute. Within 24 hours, both businesses had collaborated to design, print and install floor graphics on the shop floor of Fitzmaurice’s Pharmacy on the Quinsboro Road, Bray.
Speaking about the quick turnaround, Director of Absolute Dermot Malone said “The Covid-19 pandemic took us all by surprise especially with cancelled exhibition contracts. When Paul contacted us on Friday morning, we immediately saw a meaningful way to help protect our community whilst also keeping our 15 staff employed. Our team worked voluntarily throughout Friday night and the weekend to refine the Qsafe solution and make it available to all retailers online”.
Qsafe products indicate clearly to customers where they should stand while waiting in line for service. They are modular in nature allowing any retailer to create a logical and safe queuing system for their customers.
The graphics are already working well in Fitzmaurice’s. “We weren’t really sure how the idea would work” said Paul, “but staff and customers alike understood immediately what we were trying to achieve and the new system has been a success already. We now feel that we’re doing our best to protect both our customers and staff alike during these difficult times”.
Qsafe is available for purchase at Qsafe.ie. Email enquiries to customercare@qsafe.ie
