Is it just me, or have we been experiencing Black Friday in reverse?

You know what I mean. Maybe you’ve even been there. That fabled morning after Thanksgiving when the hordes begin to gather, like besieging armies in a Lord of the Rings movie. Not because anything in the store is truly life-or-death, but because the opportunity seems too good to be missed.

Now fast-forward to the present. Instead of swarming, the object is to disperse. Instead of a frontal charge against the stuff that’s too good to resist, we’re doing quick hit-and-run strikes for necessities. It’s a different world with different assumptions (and plenty of masks).

But one thing hasn’t changed. We’re still looking for opportunities. This time, in the form of “What’s open and what can I safely do?”

Today, we’re adding just a little bit to that list.

Our home base at the Longmont Service Center (1100 S. Sherman St.) will open on Monday, June 1 for the first time since March. Specifically, we’re open for walk-ins to our NextLight desk who want to either pay their bill or become a new NextLight customer. (And if you’d rather not visit, that’s fine – you can call us at 303-774-4494 to set up an account or go online to set up a home NextLight connection or pay your NextLight bill.)

That said, it won’t be exactly the same as it was in March. We’ve taken a few steps to help keep you and our staff safe and healthy:

• We’ll be admitting visitors to the lobby one at a time, with seating outside the Service Center for anyone who’s waiting. (And yes, we’ll have “distancing dots” on the floor!)
• Our front desks now have a clear partition.
• Our employees are masked and the office surfaces are regularly cleaned throughout the day.
• Anyone needing to return NextLight equipment to us can call 303-774-4494 to schedule a home pickup. We are not accepting walk-in equipment returns at this time. (Update: As of June 4, walk-in returns are now accepted and home pickups have been discontinued.)
  
• And of course, we’re encouraging our visitors to wear masks and use the hand sanitizer that we’ll have available.

So with that, welcome back. It’s good to (safely) see you again. We’ve been proud to keep providing the services you needduring this pandemic, and we’re glad to restore a little more normality however we can.

I think that’s something we can all feel thankful for.

Even without holiday discounts waiting the next morning.