Shops have had to adjust their opening hours and follow restrictions on customer flow.

We’re all starting to live with timetables, dictating when you can and can’t do something – it’s almost like being back in the forces again. Shops have had to adjust their opening hours and follow restrictions on customer flow.

Now, Mercadona is making changes to staff work hours in its supermarket chain all over the country, starting tomorrow, Monday the 4th.

Mercadona staff will start a four-day week, with three days off, including Sundays. This system has already been set up in four branches as a trial – nobody died, so they’re going for it!

The underlying motive behind this move is to reduce the amount of contact between staff and customers and will be in force whilst the health crisis persists.

It’s basically a shift system where two thirds are working whilst the remaining third is off. Each shift group will have two days off plus a Sunday. The bonus for staff is that every three weeks they get five consecutive days off.

Each day that a member of staff is on duty he or she (and those that fit between) will work nine hours, working out more or less to a 36-hour week. If there is a bank holiday coming up, the shift on duty could have to work 10 hours; one hour more, on either side.

Shifts will be from 06.00h to 15.30h (mornings) with a 30-minute break, and from 10.00h to 19.30h with a 60-minute break. This could vary from shop to shop.

Home deliveries will be every Thursday, although delivery times might suffer changes.

(Spain)