MY PHOTO STORY
For my photo story, I wanted to capture how people and businesses in State College have coped and changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. The obvious changes I captured were the signs and restrictions in the establishments. People were not allowed to enter the store unless they were wearing a mask, there were markings on the floor; all six feet apart, that showed where each person had to stand in order to maintain the social distancing rules and signs in every inch of the store that explained the new COVID-19 rules. Some of the less obvious changes that I noticed were the constant sanitation and the lack of both workers and costumers in the stores. In most of the stores, if you try on any of their merchandise and do not buy it, you have to place it in a specific bin or section to notify the store that it has been contaminated. I captured an example of this with the photos of the customer trying on sunglasses at Urban Outfitters and placing them into a disinfection bin. Another thing I captured is the empty stores. I went to two of the most popular stores for students downtown, Mclanahan’s and The Student Book Store. In previous years, these stores would have so much foot traffic, with checkout lines that wrapped around isles, however ever since COVID-19, the stores have been mainly empty.
After interviewing some of the workers at these stores, I discovered why they were so empty. Ever since COVID-19, the stores were forced to adjust how they operate to limit the amount of foot traffic and contact between the customers and workers. They did this by adjusting their hours, limiting the amount of registers that could be open and even letting some of their staff go because they did not need the extra help. Some stores even added self-checkout machines to limit the contact between people. Along with the changes the stores had to make, the students and customers made some changes of their own. Most people have been buying their school supplies and groceries online this semester to keep themselves safe. Although this has made it easier for them, it has greatly impacted the sales and profits of the local businesses. People have not been buying paper textbooks, lab equipment, school supplies and even apparel because the lack of in person classes and social events on campus have made these materials obsolete, which explains the lack of foot traffic in these stores. Without these purchases, the local stores have been struggling to make profits and keep the business running.
