Covid 19 Information

I know that these are unprecedented and uncertain times and that everyone is being affected by Coronavirus in one way or another at the moment. I just wanted to let everyone know what I’m doing to keep Animal Enrichment Australia operating safely and also keep you informed on postage and courier deliveries. Things will be ‘business (nearly) as usual’ and I really appreciate your ongoing support of my small, Australian business.

On Hygiene

I am very lucky to work alone, from home, as a normal situation. My contact with others is limited to a handful or regular courier drivers and these interactions now respect social distancing recommendations. Due partially to my vet nursing background, I am also naturally a very hygienic person, aware and cautious of the spread of germs (my partner regularly calls me OCD at the best of times!). I had F10 hand sanitiser in my handbag and car before it was cool 😉
In mine and my partners’ personal lives, we have become more cautious and are limiting contact with others. If I were to become unwell, I would cease business and contact my customers. Though I know the virus is said to not survive in the environment for more than a few hours, so packed orders would theoretically be safe, I would not pass on that risk.

On Deliveries

All delivery services are still operating at a normal level at this stage and there has been no indication given by any of them that this should change in the foreseeable future. This includes Couriers Please, Fastway and Australia Post, all of whom I use regularly to get orders to my wonderful customers.

The only change is regarding ‘signature required’ parcels. If a ‘do not leave’ or ‘signature required’ instruction is recorded, the delivery driver will not leave the parcel if you’re not home and will still take it to a collection point. However, if you are home, the driver will give the parcel to you, take your name and sign on your behalf. They will no longer hand you their device to sign for your parcel. Please ensure to give as much information as possible during checkout, regarding delivery instructions and ‘authority to leave’. Where possible, please consider allowing parcels to be left if no one is home, to reduce contact via parcel pick up locations.

As travel may be further restricted in the coming days, be aware that we may see delays in delivery. Freight companies have been exempt from any border closures etc, but it may take longer for everything to flow through.

Changes To Post Days

Couriers Please and Fastway collect from me every week day and this will continue to occur as normal. For parcels being sent via Australia Post, I will only be taking these to the post office two days per week (Tuesdays and Fridays) at this stage. This is to reduce my personal risk in contacting other people ‘out and about’. If you chose Australia Post delivery, please be aware that your order will only be sent on these days.
Where reasonable, I will be sending parcels via courier service instead.
Parcels being sent to PO Boxes or Parcel Lockers must use Australia Post. Some more rural areas of Australia are very expensive to deliver to with couriers and therefore quotation for Australia Post delivery is the only option given to these areas. If ‘request quote’ is selected at checkout, I will still provide quotes for courier services as well as Australia Post.

Stay Safe

We hope you all stay safe and well during this stressful time. Use the lockdown as an excuse to spoil your pets – spend extra time with them, teach them a trick, make them a toy or teach them a puzzle!