By Dominique Tassell
While some Warwick businesses are putting in place measures to make checking in more accessible to everyone, some locals believe the system should change to cater to everyone in the community.
A staff member at Olsens Produce says they’re trying to make the check in process as accessible as possible for everyone.
“We have three phones that we let people use.
“That’s all we use them for.”
NAB on Palmerin Street have the options of writing down visitors’ details if they are unable to sign in online.
A staff member says they write everything down on a sign in sheet then log the details manually themselves.
They keep the information confidential by writing the information themselves so visitors can’t see previous sign in information.
Initially, they kept the sign in sheet at the door but “quickly realised that wouldn’t work”.
Leanne from Curves says the easiest solution for their business was buying a tablet to put out the front.
“I just went and got a little android tablet and I’ve put that on the table so anyone who forget their phone or doesn’t have one can use it.”
“It’s easy and it‘s combatted the problem.
“It’s cost me $100 or something and it’s easy.”
Leanne says the tablet “is the easiest thing under the sun” and that if businesses want to find other ways to sign people in they can.
“If you’re keen enough to make it work you can do it.
“You have to be prepared to put measures in place.
“We have to work with it to make us all safe.
Other businesses, including Woolworths and AMPOL, are also taking measures to make checking in more accessible to everyone in the community.
An elderly local had a negative experience with the system in Rose City Shopping Centre.
She wanted to manually sign in as they do not own a smart phone, and were told they had to travel to the manager’s office in order to do so.
“Keep in mind these are little old ladies with canes and walking frames.”
Upon entering Big W, she was told to once more check in using the app.
In order to manually sign in, she had to travel to the change rooms.
She says “management isn’t doing the right thing”.
The local believes stores should have someone at the entrance to sign people in manually.
When she asked management why this wasn’t the case, she says they told her they don’t have the manpower.
She thinks the store could have an iPad at the front for those without smart phones to log into the app on, or have a card that everyone carries similar to how the clubs in Brisbane worked.
The local says she wants to be able to sign in, but doesn’t like that she had to spend money to do so.
“You shouldn’t have to buy a phone.
“We’re trying to do the right thing but they’re making it a bit difficult.”
