From blocking aisles to hiding Christmas decorations, Winnipeg's big retailers stash non-essential goods

Flower petals scattered, balloons hidden away and not a single rose to be found.

This bizarre sightat the floral department of a Winnipeg grocery storedoesn't match with the sign above, which is a promise to customers: "Our flowers are always in bloom and ready to go."

Except, it seems, when Manitoba embarkson the toughest retaillockdownof any provincein Canada.

Kathy Blight was saddenedwhen she walked into her Osborne Village grocer and saw the empty tables to her left. She wasn't the only person feeling that way.

"It's very depressing for us too," a Safeway employee told her.

Manitoba is taking what it hopes is decisive actioninbringing downthe country's worst COVID-19 infection rate. Starting Friday,the businesses considered vital enough to stay open in Manitoba's near-lockdowncan only sell in-store what public health deemsessential.

That means food, personal hygiene products and building materials can be purchased, but nojewelry,toys or consumer electronics. These and other non-essential items can still be purchased online or picked up curbside.

WATCH | Customers react to first day of new retail restrictions in Manitoba:

Winnipeg's big retailers block access to non-essential goods

4 years ago

Duration 2:04

Manitoba is taking what it hopes is decisive action in bringing down the country's worst COVID-19 infection rate. Businesses considered vital enough to stay open in Manitoba's near-lockdown can only sell in-store what public health deems essential.

The action was deemed necessary after Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief provincial health officer, saidtoo many people were shopping and too many businesses were acting like nothing's changed.

Large retailers were accused of flouting the spirit of the province's code red pandemic restrictions by selling only a few essential items but manynon-essential products.

By Friday, these non-essential items were prohibited from sale.Retailershad until Saturday to remove them from shelves or rope them off, but many haddone so by Friday.

The Safeway in Osborne Village hadcleaned up their flowers, stuffed a giant snowman balloon into abag that looked too small and draped plastic where the Christmas decorations and greeting cards were sold.

Blightsaid the floral arrangements brightened her day. She rushed into the storeThursday to buy a poinsettia, in case it wasn't there by Friday.

"It's very sad," she said of the lack of greenery at Safeway. "Flowers make every space look cheery."

At a Walmart in Winnipeg's Garden City neighbourhood, some aisles are blocked by boxes of chocolate, cereal and dog food.In some places, they treated plastic ortarpas if it was a wall.

About a third of the supermarket was inaccessible, such as thefurniture, home decor, bedding, sporting goods and office supply areas.

It was rows and rows of goodsyou can no longer buy.

"I didn't think it was for real,"Tahnee Flettsaid."Only essential things? How can you just buy essential things?"

She wanted new Christmas decorations and a television, but she returned to her vehicle with her shopping list intact.

"We basically just came here for $200 of junk," she said, chuckling ather peculiar shopping experience.

"I just felt anxiety [walking around].Oh my God, the worldreally is changing, because you go in the store you can't just go get what you want anymore."

HaritBhattislippedinto the Walmart to buy a PlayStation 5, the new video game console that would normally be flyingoff shelves if the retailer could put it on a shelf in the first place.

He said itmakes sense that video games aren't essential.

"It totally eliminates guys like me from coming into Walmart and free-roaming around," he said.

AndrewanilMartelli's shopping trip was calmer than he expected. Retail capacity is limited to25 per cent, or 250 people, whichever is lower.

"I was suspecting more people would be rushing in, trying to buy stuff," he said. "Frankly, it wasn't that bad it was pretty straightforward."

Most customers seemed amenable to the new restrictions, including Anne Lima who visitedthe Superstore in St. James.

"I was fine with it," shesaid. "I just came for what I needed anyway."

Carin Branquinhocommended the supermarket for quicklyseparating what could and couldn't be sold.

"I was very impressed they had it with big sheets of plastic. Theycorralled it all and wrapped it up, so even if you were tempted to go into there, you're out," she said.

"There's nothing that you need that bad that you can't get online or curbside."

At least one store in Winnipeg, a Canadian Tire, went beyond provincial orders by asking every customer to specify why they showed up.

A stranger was told that "browsing" wasn't a good enough reason forentry.

"That doesn't happen in COVID times," the worker said.