Adapt or else: Downtown businesses cope with new reality

By MAE ANDERSON and TOM KRISHER
AP Business Writers

NEW YORK (AP) — As the resilient coronavirus keeps offices closed and workers at home, some are adapting while others are trying to hang on. Many business owners had looked forward to a return toward normalcy this month  as offices reopened. But now that many companies have postponed plans to bring workers back, due to surging COVID-19 cases, downtown businesses are reckoning with the fact that adjustments made on the fly may become permanent. To survive, owners have taken such steps as boosting online sales or starting curbside pickup and delivery services. Or they’ve changed their hours, staffing levels and what they offer customers. Others are relying more on residential traffic.