Businesses in various parts of the world have decided to take steps to avoid overcrowding and thus reduce the likelihood of COVID-19 infections. In some cases the supermarkets have decided to establish new opening hours and limit entry to the shops to a certain number of people at the same time. This, by the way, made the entry queues more frequent than usual.
Luckily there are several ways to know when is the best time to go shopping and avoid any kind of crowding that could increase the risk of contagion. To do this, simply use our mobile phone and one of the apps that let us know how busy a place is.
Is there a queue at the supermarket? So you can find out with Tiendeo
It has become one of the most used utilities in recent days, and it's no wonder. Tiendeo is a platform that allows you to consult the catalogs and offers of the companies around us. However, among its many functions it also includes the possibility of check if there is a queue in supermarkets and, if so, how long should you wait before you can enter to make the purchase. The way to use this tool is simple:
- Enter the section "Where's the queue?" from Tiendeo, both from your mobile phone and from your computer.
- Enter your current location or grant page location permissions.
- Wait for the results to be generated.
In this way the different shops available will appear on the map in the location you have chosen and, using geolocation technology, you will be offered one real-time estimate representing the queue that exists in each of the supermarkets. In this sense, it also offers the possibility of collaborate and to enter the estimated waiting time in those activities that do not show it due to lack of information.
Check how busy the nearest supermarket is with Google Maps
But Tiendeo isn't the only tool that lets you control how much queue is there at the supermarket. Time ago Google Maps shows in real time how busy a place is exploiting the location data of users' mobile phones.
Although Google Maps does not offer such a clear representation whether or not there is a queue to enter the supermarket, it is able to display statistics in real time and even predict the best time to shop in based on the data collected with Over time. To check how many people are in a place, follow these steps:
- Open Google Maps and search for the supermarket you want to visit.
- Tap the pin at the bottom of the screen.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the screen until you see the "Rush Hours" panel.
- In the bar chart, you can see how busy the site is in the green bar. You can also see how many people should be in the next few hours.
- Below is the maximum waiting time and the time people usually spend in each specific place.
These are probably the two most accurate ways to check the queue at the supermarket without having to visit it. However, vale la penalty remember that the vast majority of companies continue to offer the option to make the purchase online and receiving products at home, so resorting to online shopping can be a good idea in these quarantine days.