An Update on Our Situation

Good afternoon from Butler & Bailey Market.

I just wanted to get everyone up to date on the store at this time. Three weeks ago, we saw where that this virus situation was probably going to have a big impact on our community. In anticipation of this, we put in place more stringent cleaning and sanitizing procedures for the safety and health of all of us. I have also been in regular contact with Martha Buchanan, at the Knox County Health Department, about any adjustments we need to make to our procedures as we learn more about this virus. To date, she assures me our response is appropriate. She continues to emphasize the most important thing we can all do is be diligent in our personal hygiene, especially washing hands and staying home if we show any symptoms of illness.

Several people in the higher risk categories have called wanting to know the best time to shop in the store. My suggestion would be first thing in the morning. One, it is a little less crowded and secondly, after we close every night, we go through the whole store sanitizing all of the surfaces that the public and staff come in contact with. We also do this throughout the day, but everything starts out fully sanitized in the morning.

Going forward, we are going to keep adjusting to circumstances as they present themselves. We will not be having a sales flyer for the next couple of weeks because we have no idea what will be available to us. The supply chain has been greatly affected the last few weeks.


Presently, we are keeping the same store hours, but they may need to be adjusted based on staffing needs and inventory concerns. Please be mindful that this is a very fluid situation, so decisions we make are being implemented immediately.


Finally, our staff and business are members of this community, and we are going to do our part to make this situation as smooth as possible. My hope is that we can provide normalcy in these very abnormal times. We will base our business decisions on science and rational thought, not on the frenzy coming from the 24-hour news cycle and social media.

We have served this community, and you have supported us for the last thirty years. It has been a successful relationship because we have shared patience, understanding, and respect towards each other. Let’s keep doing that and I think we will all be fine.

Thanks for letting us be a part of your community,

Tom Butler

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