"Life won't be back to normal for 18 months" ... just saw that quote from a Mayor.

Think very carefully about who, exactly, is going to step foot back in a Macy's store and when that will happen with confidence.

Total Wine? That will happen quickly. https://twitter.com/NeilRetail/status/1246249265778712577

Even if everybody waltzes back into a store as if nothing ever happened, how in the name of the God of Omnichannel is the supply chain going to ramp up properly to fill demand?

With luck, the supply chain ramps up "enough" to fill "enough" demand to keep things afloat. That will be an enormous success story and will likely be covered as a massive failure by the pundits.

Can you imagine the pundits screaming at Kohl's because the shelves are 30% empty and because traffic is -20%?

And yet, that (in all likelihood) will be an amazing success story that should be celebrated.

An amazing "reshuffling" is coming to retail.

You'll read about all of the pain, pain yields clicks and gets people paid.

But there will be amazing stories of retailers rebooting operationally ... or retailers rebooting from a "who we are" standpoint. It's not all gloom/doom.

Assume your favorite retail brand reboots on July 1.

What would that brand have to do in order to get you to drive to a store and spend time indoors with potentially sick individuals?

Seriously ... you have to answer that question.

Answering that question correctly determines how the reboot goes.

For instance, describe the following:

a) How does Kohl's keep a customer safe?

b) How does Kohl's keep an employee safe?

Smart retailers are paying close attention to Target / Walmart as we speak, because they're operating a lab in real time right now.

You can make a strong argument that "safety" is going to be 1,000x as important as being "omnichannel" or being "digital".

Think ahead to "Black Friday". If the virus is still bubbling about as experts suggest but somehow you're allowed to shop, describe under what circumstances a "door buster" promotion at midnight is going to be a good idea?

If you operate a movie theater and are somehow allowed to reboot in July, describe under what circumstances you will be allowed to fill a theater with individuals sitting 18 inches from each other?

Will you let customers self-pump butter on a tub of salty popcorn?

Smart retailers are already thinking through all of the scenarios. Even if the virus is eradicated, will your customer trust you?

Does the retail brand have a security solution when a person with an allergy sneezes and the person standing next to the sneezer loses his/her mind? Gonna need a security solution.

What is the viability of the omnichannel-fueled "Buy Online, Pickup in a Store" if the customer doesn't feel comfortable visiting a store because the customer might get sick? Smart retailers are already thinking through solutions.

How does a mall owner keep customers safe? You have doors that customers open with their hands. Open walkways not managed by stores. Food courts. All require pre-thought and strategy so that a safe environment can be guaranteed when retail reboots.

It's possible none of this will require any thought, and we'll be good in a few months. I sure hope so.

If the alternative happens, then smart retailers are already pre-planning the safety aspect of the brand proposition, for it will be far more important than anything else.