SHOPPING

Forget about making shopping fun. As clothing retailers and others try to stay viable during the coronavirus pandemic, they’re hoping steps like cleaning during store hours, offering hand sanitizer and other safety measures will bring in customers to spend.

New York City got more “back to normal” Monday than it has in three months as it entered Phase II, reopening long-restricted restaurants to outdoor dining, stores to in-person retail, playgrounds and more services with strict limitations. Mayor Bill de Blasio described Phase II as the five boroughs’ “biggest step forward” yet as the city looks to recover from the…

New Jersey entered Stage 2 of Gov. Phil Murphy’s reopening roadmap Monday, opening up outdoor dining at all times of day or night, in-person retail and child care services with restrictions in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread. Libraries also reopen for curbside pickup starting Monday, while drop-off and pick-up services resume at New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission…

Five New York regions will enter Phase III of reopening Friday, opening up indoor dining at half capacity and personal care services like nail salons and tattoo parlors for the first time in months, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday. Social distancing and masks are required. The five regions that will take the next step Friday were the first to reopen…

Experts know not every local retailer or restaurant will make it to the other side of the pandemic.

Nordstrom announced Tuesday that it will reopen its locations in Farmington and Norwalk this week. Company officials said the Nordstrom stores at Westfarms in Farmington and The SoNo Collection in Norwalk are set to reopen Thursday, as well as the Nordstorm Rack store in Farmington. The company said they have a phased approach to reopening and will follow local guidelines…

The Connecticut Post Mall will reopen to the public on May 20, company officials announced Thursday. The Milford shopping center is the state’s largest mall. Company officials said they are taking steps to follow the guidelines laid out by the state in the “Reopen Connecticut” plan. The mall closed on March 19 to help curb the spread of the coronavirus….

Westfield announced Monday it will reopen its mall locations in Meriden and Trumbull on May 20. Shopping malls across Connecticut were closed in March to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Malls are included in the first phase of reopening, state officials said last week, but they will have to follow the retail guidelines. Westfield said the shopping centers will…

Solutions range from reserving sanitized fitting rooms to window shopping You might be thinking twice about venturing to the mall to try on clothes in a fitting room, because of the coronavirus pandemic.  You’re not alone.  Sixty-five percent of women said they will not feel safe trying on clothes in dressing rooms, due to the COVID-19 crisis, according to a...

For the elderly and immunocompromised, getting groceries and other basic necessities has become challenging in the pandemic. But now it’s easier in West Hartford, thanks to a team led by teenagers. “It’s our job as young able-bodied citizens.  We thought we must give back to our community,” said Jett Rosner, co-founder of WeHa At Your Service. In West Hartford,...

Teens in West Hartford create the WeHa At Your Service volunteer team to go shopping for senior citizens and others who can’t leave their house

The Native American woman who has graced the packaging of Land O’Lakes butter, cheese and other products since the late 1920s has quietly disappeared

New social distancing measures took effect at retail stores across Connecticut Friday. “I have to keep checking myself like oh you’re getting a little too close in line,” Nico Dlubac said. The Safe Store Rules, part of an executive order from Gov. Ned Lamont, went into effect Friday. Among the rules, occupancy is capped at 50%, floors must be marked…

The governor’s new executive order limit the number of people in grocery stores is in effect. We show you what you can expect next time you shop.

Governor Ned Lamont issued an order requiring grocery stores to limit their capacity to 50 percent and insure customers can practice social distancing.

Shelves were bare in some stores across Connecticut as people said they were stocking up for the unknown.

The governors of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have ordered all malls, bowling alleys and amusement parks closed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The Connecticut Post Mall in Milford will temporarily close to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. The closure will take effect Thursday, March 19. Company officials did not give a specific date for reopening, but said they would monitor the status of COVID-19 in their area. Gov. Ned Lamont issued an executive order requiring bars and restaurants to close,…

It is a similar scene across the state: empty shelves at supermarkets. On Friday morning, several grocery stores in Connecticut had lines out the door. NBC Connecticut visited the Big Y in Groton where workers said they saw a steady flow of shoppers all day. Shelves that are supposed to hold disinfectant wipes and toilet paper were completely empty. “I…

Barneys New York, which once reigned in the world of high fashion, officially shut down its stores. The iconic department store retailer, founded in 1923, closed up shop on Feb. 23 and more than 700 employees its flagship store on Madison Avenue, its Chelsea location and its outlet at Woodbury Common in Central Valley were expected to lose their jobs….