I have been working with Lori Bruce for a long time. Probably longer then either one of us wants to admit.
Who is Lori Bruce?
Well, let's just say when we 'Gottahavva' comment about Wawa, we turn to Lori.
Yes, she's the manager of culture and communications at our favorite convenience store.
Let's be honest here. We take Wawa pretty seriously. After all, they started right here in Delco and we still claim them as our own. They opened first store right there on MacDade Boulevard more than half a century ago. They still maintain their corporate headquarters just off Baltimore Pike in Chester Heights, not far from the original Wood family farm.
As you might expect, Wawa is feeling the effects of the coronavirus pandemic just as the rest of us are.
Last week they made some news by announcing they would be closing something close to all of our hearts. That would be their glorious self-service coffee bar. Now that traditional morning cup of Joe will be poured by associates. The same goes for fountain sodas. They also announced a a one-hour closure, from 2-3 a.m., for many stores for deep cleaning and sanitizing.
But Sunday I received several anonymous tips about Wawa operations. So naturally I turned to Lori. Even on a Sunday.
I was not surprised to see Lori responded. She always does.
This is what she told me:
"As a provider of essential products and services, our goal right now is to have our stores remain open as long as we can to serve our communities, essential workers and first responders and those who must travel the roads. We have a dedicated team in place and we are continuing to monitor on an hour-by-hour basis all recommended precautions and any updates to situations impacting the communities our stores are located in.
"Part of our commitment to our communities includes being open when they need us the most. That said, we will always make decisions with the health and safety of our customers and associates as our priority.
"Operational or staffing challenges could make it necessary to curtail hours or prioritize stores to remain open within communities. Our associates have a lot of flexibility to be out during these challenging times. If we do need to close any stores or limit hours, we will make every attempt to continue having a presence to serve a community."
No one is immune to what is happening amid this coronavirus pandemic.
That includes newspapers.
It's nice to know we'll always have Wawa.
And Lori.
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