TEXAS, USA — In an effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19, several Southeast Texas stores are implementing new restrictions.
Some stores have come under fire for allowing crowded aisles and groups of shoppers, and for continuing to sell non-essential items.
Here's a breakdown of the changes.
Walmart
- Walmart is now limiting the number of shoppers for each store. No more than 5 customers in a store for every 1,000 square feet inside. The associates will mark a queue at a single-entry door (in most cases the Grocery entrance) and direct arriving customers there, where they will be admitted one-by-one and counted.
- One-way aisles along with one designated entrance and exit will be implemented.
- Walmart is asking families to limit the number of people they bring with them to stores and all customers to follow social distancing guidelines.
- Customers will be directed to an exit separate from the entrance.
- Walmart recently shipped infrared thermometers to all their stores, which will soon start taking all employees' temperatures when they report to work. Stores will only allow people with a fever of 100 or higher back once they have been fever-free for at least three days.
- Masks and gloves will soon be available for associates who want to wear them.
H-E-B
"All H-E-B partners who work in our stores, warehouses, manufacturing and transportation facilities will be strongly encouraged to wear masks," H-E-B said in a statement on Friday, April 3. H-E-B said it will provide employees with masks and gloves for use while at work.
H-E-B has created a dedicated leader in every store, the COVID Action Manager, who is trained to ensure sanitation and social distancing procedures are properly followed.
Other previous actions include: plexiglass partitions at all checkstands; metered entry into stores; crowd control guidelines to manage customer traffic; and floor decals to help identify proper social distance.
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Kroger
- Associates are allowed to wear their own gloves and masks as Kroger continues its effort to to find these resources.
- We continue to enhance our daily sanitation practices, including cleaning commonly used areas more often like cashier stations, self-checkouts, credit card terminals, food service counters and shelves.
- Installing Plexiglass partitions at check lanes, including pharmacy counters and Starbucks registers, to further promote physical distancing.
- Installing educational floor decals to promote physical distancing at check lanes and other counters.
Target
- Target will now limit the number of people allowed in each store based on the size of the building. When needed, a team member will help guests into a designated waiting area outside with social distancing markers, while others will guide guests inside the store and keep things moving quickly and conveniently. "It’s another step to encourage social distancing, on top of the signage, floor decals and audio messages already in place at our stores," Target said.
- There will also be no in-store returns or exchanges for at least the next three weeks to reduce the number of items employees are touching.
- Target will also be giving masks and gloves to all of its employees and Shipt customers. They already had plexiglass partitions at checkout stations.
Sam's Club
- In addition to visual markers to support the 6’ guidance, Sam's Club is encouraging members to limit to no more than two people per membership enter the club at one time.
- They will begin taking the temperatures of our associates as they report to work. Any associate with a temperature of 100.0 degrees will be sent home, asked to seek medical treatment if necessary, and told to not return to work until they are fever-free for at least 3 days.
- Masks and gloves will soon be available for associates who want to wear them.
