Kim Timko used to rely on Rent the Runway for dresses for weddings and parties, outfits for date nights, and professional clothes for her job as a lawyer in New York. She said the clothing-rental service is “a nice way to have expensive clothes without having to buy.”

But weddings have been postponed, parties canceled, and Timko is working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. Like many others, she has put her Rent the Runway subscription on hold. She may even cancel it.

She said renting expensive clothes isn’t worth the money right now — or the risk of getting the virus — as unlikely as that may be.

“Any packages I get, I wipe them down,” Timko said. “You can’t really do that with a dress. A US$600 dress or something — you can’t, like, Lysol it.”

Rent the Runway CEO Jennifer Hyman said in a statement: “While there is no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 is spread via surfaces like fabric, all our garments, accessories, hangers, and reusable packaging are meticulously cleaned and steamed each time they are returned to us, and then sealed in plastic to protect them from any elements — including human touch — that they may encounter in transit to the next customer.”

Still, the company has taken a big financial hit from the pandemic. It has laid off and furloughed employees, and temporarily closed its retail stores.

Like Uber and Airbnb, Rent the Runway was founded in the wake of the Great Recession. Fueled by mountains of private capital, these companies tapped the power of smartphone apps to make it easy for strangers to share their cars, homes and even clothing. Along the way, they upended the traditional taxi, hotel and retail industries.

Now the pandemic may upend them. These businesses’ survival depends on convincing customers it is safe to share at a time when health authorities are warning everyone to keep their distance.

Rent the Runway is not the only company emphasizing its cleanliness and safety rules to reassure customers. Airbnb has created new cleaning protocols for hosts, including training on how to disinfect a home in partnership with former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

Uber and Lyft now require drivers and passengers to wear masks. They are also giving cleaning supplies to drivers.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【细致地】 xìzhì de meticulously thoroughly, with extreme care about minute details

【消毒】xiāodú disinfect cleanse something of infection, destroy disease germs in

在纽约当律师的金姆▪蒂姆科曾在租衣平台Rent the Runway上租过婚礼和派对礼服、约会装及职业装。她表示服装租赁服务是“不用买就能拥有昂贵服饰的一个好办法”。

但是现在婚礼被推迟了，派对取消了，蒂姆科在新冠疫情期间也都是在家工作。和许多其他人一样，她已经暂停向Rent the Runway缴纳会员费。她甚至可能退订会员服务。

她表示，现在租昂贵的衣服不值当，还有感染病毒的风险 —— 虽然这不太可能。

蒂姆科说：“收到的任何包裹，我都会上上下下地擦干净。衣服就没法这么擦。比如说一条600美元的裙子，你不可能用消毒水来清洁。”

Rent the Runway公司的首席执行官詹妮弗▪海曼在一份声明中说：“尽管没有证据表明新冠病毒会通过织物传播，但我们所有的衣服、饰品、衣架和可重复使用的包装在每次归还回来后都会一丝不苟地进行清洁和蒸汽消毒，并用塑料密封起来，保护其在运送给下一位顾客途中不受任何因素的污染--包括人类接触。”

尽管如此，疫情已经让这家公司遭受了经济重创。该公司已经让一些员工下岗和停职，并暂时关闭了零售店。

同优步和爱彼迎一样，Rent the Runway是在大萧条时代后创立的。在大量民间资本的推动下，这些公司利用智能手机应用的便利让陌生人分享自己的汽车、房屋甚至衣服。这一路走来，它们对传统的出租车、酒店和零售行业造成了颠覆性打击。

现在这场大流行病可能会让它们颠覆。这些企业的生死存亡取决于能否在卫生部门警告大家保持距离的这样一个时期，让顾客相信共享还是安全的。

Rent the Runway不是唯一一个强调自己在清洁和安全方面的规定让顾客安心的企业。爱彼迎为房主制定了新的清洁规范，包括与美国卫生局前局长维韦克▪莫西合作，对于如何给房屋消毒进行培训。优步和来福车现在要求司机和乘客佩戴口罩。他们还给司机提供清洁用品。(chinadaily.com.cn)