With news that all retail stores across Ontario will be allowed to reopen for curbside pickup starting on May 11, many business owners and customers alike are wondering how social distancing will be maintained if and when things get busy.

There will certainly be demand for items from non-essential outlets, which have been closed to the public for nearly two months, and some fear that crowds of shoppers may end up accumulating outside storefronts.

So if *every* retail store opens for curbside pickup, which means *every* retail store will need a line, where exactly will all those lines go if they're each going to be physically distant from each other?

To say nothing of the pedestrians, like Toronto usually does.

— Sean Boulton (@sboulton) May 6, 2020

Mayor John Tory has said that one solution to this issue in particular is currently under consideration: staggered, scheduled pickup times.

"We are looking at encouraging businesses to think about things like making an appointment to pick up your goods to avoid big lineups and to avoid crowd scenes," Tory told CP24 this morning as people prepare for the province to gradually open up again.

"Maybe it will be the case that you can’t just walk off the street anymore in the early phase of reopening."

He added that the potential rule would apply to restaurants as they begin opening their doors, too.

Companies such as GoodLife Fitness recently revealed a similar appointment-style plan for members to use gym facilities when they open up, while IKEA has already had to implement time slots for its popular Curbside Click & Collect shopping option, which resumed today.

We are experiencing high demand for our new Curbside Click & Collect service and our pick-up slots are full, or are almost full at many locations. If you're unable to place your order, please try again tomorrow as new time slots open up. Thanks for your understanding!

— IKEA Canada (@IKEACanada) May 7, 2020

It's a good thing the pandemic (and living in Toronto in general) has trained us to obediently wait in lineups for hours without getting too close to another human.