Furniture retailers tell customers it's OK to touch, sit, lie down because they have coronavirus precautions in place

“It’s been a little slow over the weekend,” said Kim Kyle, who run Steven Shell Furniture in Raleigh's Cameron Village shopping center.

When Steven Shell Furniture reopened about a week and a half ago, Kyle said she was expecting a surge in shoppers.

“People didn’t bum rush like we thought, maybe, but the traffic has been slowly picking up,” she said.

To help attract shoppers, the store is holding a "Welcome Back" and Memorial Day sale, with 20 percent off the whole store. Kyle said the store also is making its safety protocols known to make customers more comfortable.

“Every morning, we come in an hour early,” she said. “We wipe down every piece of furniture, especially paying attention to the handles. We are using Lysol to disinfect.”

Hand sanitizer is placed throughout the store, and masks are encouraged.

“We are just trying to do everything we can to keep everyone safe that works here, as well as visits the store,” Kyle said.

In-person shopping is critical to furniture stores because customers like to get a feel for the items, she said. Because of that, customers are still allowed to touch pieces and test them out.

"There’s a lot of physical touching to pick your right piece," she said.

Shopper Erica Reese, who was out Monday looking for antiques, agreed.

"I’ve been looking at Etsy and stuff to find different hand-made antiques, but nothing compares to in-person [shopping]," said Reese, who noted that she scouts out stores in advance to make sure they are cleaning properly.

"I just know the days that they are cleaning," she said. "It’s clear that there’s not that many people out there, which is good, and just knowing how thoughtful they’re being about it is really important to me."

At The Original Mattress Factory, Vice President Reed Murphy said they provide customers with "a protective pillow and mattress sham that provides a barrier between them and the mattresses" so people can try out various mattresses.

“All OMF employees will be wearing masks, practicing social distancing and increasing cleaning and disinfecting practices,” company President Greg Trzcinski said in a statement. "We will also be limiting the number of customers that are in our stores at one time."

At Ashley Homestore, common areas, door handles, countertops, computers, credit kiosks and other surfaces are being disinfected throughout the day, according to the company website.