Retail Association Survey Shows Nevadans Ready for Plan to Reopen Nevada

The Retail Association of Nevada released Wednesday the third in their ongoing series of surveys of Nevadans’ opinions and behaviors related to the coronavirus outbreak. RAN surveyed 376 Nevadans on April 28, 2020 with a margin of error of 5%.

“In our most recent survey, it is clear Nevadans are frustrated with a perceived lack of leadership from the Governor’s Office, especially when it comes to a plan to reopen the state,” said Bryan Wachter, Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs of the Retail Association of Nevada. “Nevadans are ready to start the process of cautiously reopening the state and are acknowledging that it might be many months before they’re ready to visit higher-risk venues such as festivals or concerts.”

In this third survey, RAN also saw a steep decline in general concern over COVID-19. Retailers continue to receive high marks for their handling of the outbreak, and concerns over product availability also continue to decline as retailers have refiled shelves emptied during the early weeks of the outbreak.

New in this survey RAN asked Nevadans how soon they plan to visit several key locations. Many Nevadans expect to return to their workplaces soon after the shelter at home orders are lifted. Salons and barbers are a top priority for Nevadans with malls and concerts seeing the longest times before consumers plan to return.

“Nevadans have made huge sacrifices to flatten the curve, and now that we’re beginning to see the other side, Nevadans are continuing to show their commitment to keeping themselves and others safe when it comes to reopening the state,” Wachter said. “Their responses to this survey show that, in absence of clear plans from the Governor’s Office, consumers have already decided that when the state reopens, they will proceed cautiously.”

Click to download the survey results

Retail Survey Finds Consumers Support Stay At Home Order, Favor Cuts to Tax Increases

The Retail Association of Nevada shared Thursday the results of their follow up survey on Nevada consumer opinions and behaviors as a result of COVID-19. Consumers continue to strongly approve of how retailers have handled the coronavirus outbreak.

“We’re seeing both in this survey and anecdotical evidence in the stores that after the initial shock of COVID-19 has passed, consumers are adjusting their shopping behaviors,” said Bryan Wachter. “We’re also seeing consumers have strong opinions about how their elected leaders have handled the situation, especially as a significant state budget shortfall may be on the horizon, and Nevadans want to see cuts rather than tax increases on an already overstretched personal budget.”

In light of the shelter at home and mandatory closures of non-essential businesses, RAN found that consumers are strongly supportive of measures taken. Additionally, when asked their opinions about a potential state budget shortfall, 64% favored budget cuts as opposed to 7% favored raising taxes.

Click to download the press release

Click to download the survey results

Retail Association of Nevada Releases Consumer Opinion and Behavior Survey on COVID-19

The Retail Association of Nevada released Wednesday the results of their statewide survey that measures consumer opinion and buying behaviors as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

“While Nevadans are very concerned of COVID-19, they are generally supportive of how it has been handled to date, giving high marks to the local retailers who have worked tirelessly to keep grocery stores open and as many products available as possible,” said Bryan Wachter, Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs of the Retail Association of Nevada. “We are beginning to see the financial impacts of COVID-19 and many Nevadans expect to earn less money and need to spend more over the coming weeks.”

The survey, conducted March 23, 2020, included nearly 400 Nevadans who reported full or part time employment as of March 1, 2020.

“After a frantic couple of weeks, we’re beginning to see some normalcy return to our grocery retailers as the supply chain has caught up and shelves are beginning to be refilled,” Wachter said. “We urge Nevadans to continue to be patient and flexible, and as products become available again, please buy only what you need so we can make sure there is product available for at-risk populations as well as those reliant on delivery services due to quarantines.”

Click to download the press release

Click to download the survey results

Retail Association of Nevada Responds to Governor Sisolak’s Directive

In response to Governor Sisolak’s directive for non-essential businesses to close, Retail Association of Nevada issued the following statement:

“All we can say is ‘thank you’ to the non-essential Nevada businesses that are closing their doors tonight,” said Bryan Wachter, Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs of the Retail Association of Nevada. “These businesses are making the ultimate sacrifice to protect our communities, and when COVID-19 has slowed and the recovery begins, we will owe them a debt of gratitude to help them stand back up on the other side. In the meantime, stay home to help the COVID-19 threat pass, and look for other ways to support businesses within the Governor’s Directive, including curbside pickup, order take out from restaurants, purchase gift certificates for future use and shop online.”

March 20 – Governor Sisolak Declaration of Emergency – Directive #3

Emergency Regulations

RAN Urges Consumers to Support Grocery Stores and Pharmacies
By Staying Home As Much As Possible

There is a lot of information going around, so we wanted to create a list of things that you can do to help local businesses.

NOTE: It is critical that we give our essential businesses room to work, so if you don’t need groceries or pharmacies, please stay home to lower risks of transmission to their staff and fellow customers, and give them time to clean and restock stores.

If you have enough supplies and can stay away from grocery stores, it will help the consumers who haven’t been able to complete their shopping as well as at-risk populations who need to avoid crowds.

Things you can do to support all local businesses:

• Be patient – retailers are understaffed and working hard to keep stores safe, stocked and staffed
• Be flexible – you may need to be creative with your recipes, but more products are coming in every day
• Be gracious – if you need to visit a retail store, smile and say thank you. You have no idea how much that may brighten the day of someone who is away from their family to keep food and supplies available
• Give a shout out – is a retail employee or store going above and beyond? Leave a review, share social shout out, and use hashtag #ThankYouRetailWorkers
• Don’t over purchase – only purchase enough for two weeks rather than multiple months to reduce shortages and make sure there’s enough for everyone
• Support our at-risk populations by allowing them to shop during designated hours for lower risks
• Wash your hands before/during shopping to keep you healthy but also to keep our retail employees healthy
• Stay home as much as possible – there are many home entertainment options that are free or at reduced price during the outbreak
• Order takeout – support our local restaurants as well as help support the local employees of chains that are offering delivery and take-out
• Buy gift cards for local businesses to help give them liquidity to stay in business through and after the outbreak
• Shop local online – many specialty retailers also have websites or Etsy stores and can ship or deliver products to you
• Use Curbside Pickup – place your orders online and have them delivered to your vehicle rather than entering stores whenever possible

Click here to read the full press release from RAN

Additional Guidance from Governor’s Office

ESSENTIAL AND NON-ESSENTIAL SERVICES & SECTORS

Essential services and sectors include, but are not limited to:

• Fire services, law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services & public safety agencies
• Healthcare services
• Businesses or organizations that provide food, shelter, or critical social services for disadvantaged populations
• Utilities as defined in NRS Chapter 704
• Trash collection
• Home repair services
• Auto repair services & trucking service centers
• Grocery stores, supermarkets, hardware stores, convenience & discount stores
• Pharmacies, healthcare operations, & biomedical facilities
• Post offices & shipping outlets
• Gas stations & truck stops
• Banks & financial institutions
• Veterinary clinics & pet stores
• Laundromats & dry cleaners
• Food processing
• Agriculture, livestock & feed mills
• Logistics & Supply Chain Operations: Warehousing, storage, distribution, and supply-chain related operations
• Public transportation
• Essential stays in hotels, commercial lodging, dormitories, shelters, and homeless encampments
• Child care centers and daycares operating in accordance with requirements set forth by their licensing authorities and COVID-19 guidance

Non-essential services and sectors include, but are not limited to:

• Entertainment & hospitality, including but not limited to strip clubs and brothels, casinos, concert venues, arenas, auditoriums, stadiums, large conference rooms, meeting halls, and cafeterias
• Recreation and athletic facilities, including but not limited to community and recreation centers, gyms, health clubs, fitness centers, yoga, barre and spin facilities
• Beauty and personal care services and facilities, including but not limited to barber shops, beauty, tanning, waxing hair salons, and nail salons and spas
• Retail facilities, including shopping malls except for pharmacy or other health care facilities within retail operations. Retailers are encouraged to continue online operations with pickup and delivery.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE NEVADA HEALTH RESPONSE COVID-19 RISK MITIGATION INITIATIVE