It resembled a crime scene Wednesday — including barricades restricting access and personnel directing people where to go — but was just another business day at Walmart, where store officials have begun limiting customer traffic due to COVID-19.
Store occupancy also is being monitored at another popular shopping venue in Mount Airy, Lowe’s Home Improvement, as part of procedures announced by that retail chain to curtail the spread of the coronavirus.
This includes the addition of “social distancing ambassadors” to monitor customer flow in garden centers and front-end areas and enforce occupancy limits to allow proper distancing.
Shopper traffic was noticeably less than usual Wednesday inside Walmart on Rockford Street, where customers were allowed access through one door of its supermarket section. Two male employees manned that entrance, where one held a small computer device he was using to tabulate those arriving.
That unidentified individual said he did not know how exactly many occupants the store was limited to, but that when a certain number is reached an alert is signaled to the device to not allow any more people to enter.
Under a new Walmart policy controlling the number of customers who can be in a store at once, a ratio of no more than five people for each 1,000 square feet will be permitted at a given time, roughly 20 percent of a store’s capacity.
Once that threshold is realized, customers are admitted inside on a “one-out, one-in” basis, company officials said.
The toughened occupancy restrictions are in response to what one describes as an inability by the public to police itself.
“While many of our customers have been following the advice of the medical community regarding social distancing and safety, we have been concerned to still see some behaviors in our stores that put undue risk on our people,” Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dacona Smith said in a statement.
“We want to encourage customers to bring the fewest number of people per family necessary to shop, allow for space with other customers while shopping and practice social distancing while waiting in lines.”
The intensified efforts also include Walmart employees and signage reminding customers of the importance of social distancing while they’re inside a store or waiting to enter, reflecting the priority being placed on health and safety.
“We always want people to feel welcome at Walmart, and we know that in ordinary times a store is a gathering place for members of a community to connect and socialize,” Smith added.
“We look forward to the time when that is again the case.”
Lowe’s access limited
In contrast, no personnel were posted Wednesday at doorways of Lowe’s Home Improvement on South Andy Griffith Parkway, but signage was in place to regulate customer flow.
For example, “Exit only” notices were posted at the gardening section.
Other steps taken by Lowe’s officials include the development of an app (a computer program designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone or tablet) that serves as a “customer limit protocol.” Through it, each store manager can now monitor foot traffic and limit entrance based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local guidelines.
Lowe’s also has updated its store floor layouts to further support the CDC’s standards for social distancing, such as opening up aisle space by removing displays to make it easier for employees and shoppers to get needed items quickly and safely.
In addition, the retail chain has begun temporarily closing all its stores at 7 p.m. daily to provide additional time for product replenishment and to thoroughly clean and sanitize the premises.
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Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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