Walmart Begins Limiting Number of Customers Allowed In Stores

Walmart has announced new store policies that will help with social distancing and reduce chances of getting too close to other shoppers who are in the store.

According to Dacona Smith, Walmart's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, the following policies will be put into place in Walmart stores across the country, including the Northland:

Regulating Store Entry
Effective immediately, the number of customers who can be in a store at once will be limited. Stores will now allow no more than five customers for each 1,000 square feet at a given time, roughly 20 percent of a store’s capacity.

To manage this restriction, the associates at a store 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. Associates and signage will remind customers of the importance of social distancing while they’re waiting to enter a store – especially before it opens in the morning.

Once a store reaches its capacity, customers will be admitted inside on a “1-out-1-in” basis.

Shopping Inside the Store
Walmart will institute one-way movement through all aisles next week in a number of their stores, using floor markers and direction from associates.  This is expected to help more customers avoid coming into close contact with others as they shop.

Signage inside stores will continue to be added to remind customers of the need to maintain social distancing – especially in lines. And once customers check out, they will be directed to exit through a different door than they entered, which should help lessen the instances of people closely passing each other.

Target had recently adopted a similar policy and I think it's a fantastic idea that's a long time coming.  Perhaps grocery stores will now follow the lead of other retailers and begin putting similar policies in place.