Posted on 04/04/2020 9:37:03 AM PDT by Kaslin
Retail giant Walmart on Friday announced changes to its retail stores across the country. The changes are geared to protect staff and customers from the Wuhan coronavirus.
"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," Dacona Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, said in a post on the company's website. "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. We’re also seeing states and municipalities set varying policies regarding crowd control – which has created some confusion regarding shopping."
Beginning Saturday, the number of customers will be limited to five customers per 1,000 square feet, which is about 20 percent of a store's capacity. How many people will be allowed in each store will vary depending on the individual store's size.
Each store will only have one entry and one exit. At that entrance, employees will count the number of people going into the store to make sure the 20 percent capacity rule is followed. Additional customers will be allowed in as others leave the building, following a one-in, one-out pattern.
The company is also implementing a one-way movement throughout each store. There will be floor markers and employees directing customers to make sure the pattern is followed.
Walmart has taken other precautions, like installing sneeze guards at registers, closing stores overnight to conduct deep cleaning and restocking shelves. The company has also begun taking employees' temperatures to monitor for potential cases of the Wuhan coronavirus. Walmart is also making gloves and masks available to employees who wish to wear them.
“So Walmart will have people standing in line before allowing them into the store? How Soviet of them.”
More extreme at Costco. The hundreds of people waiting in line outside had to stand on pieces of tape 6’ apart. As shoppers left the building, that many line standers were permitted in. Then the line people solemnly MARCHED forward, zombie-like, to the next line on the pavement. No talking. No eye contact. VERY Soviet. Not America. (What have they done to us?)
The good thing is that there was a white board outside listing what was NOT in stock. So if it was there, you could leave and not waste your time.
Trader Joe’s has been doing this for a week. I’ve waited 10-15 minutes at the longest. There are no lines at check out and the aisles are not crowded. I feel it’s a wash. They are cleaning carts and offering hand sanitizer. They are also bagging with their own paper bags and not charging (CA)
That’s true. Walmart pharmacy typically opens at 9 a.m., but it was open at 6 a.m on Tuesday for the seniors. A good thing, even though I didn’t need to use it.
Food Town is an option around here.
You can learn Spanish, see many generations of the same family
and sometimes witness the miracle of birth next to the dried beans.
Unless you are kidding, I am confuised. There are Walmarts in Panorama City, Torrance, Burbank, West Hills, Compton, Carson, Porter Ranch, Pico Rivera, Hawthorne, Long Beach, Rosemead, Duarte….And many more within the LA basin and just outside but within the L.A. area and more. They almost border each other. So if I missed your humor, sorry. But if you were serious, who said that?
rwood
I will no longer be shopping Walmart for groceries.
I went this morning, it was raining and thankfully there wasn’t a wait but it was still a mess getting in.
Then I was in the meat section getting my weekly list of meats, not hoarding, nothing outrageous at all.
A 1lb pack of ground hamburger, a large sirloin steak, thin beef roundeye, chicken gizzard. 2 2lb bags of frozen chicken b/c the fresh breast was gone (I get a 5lb fresh package every week).
A Walmart lady comes and stands over my basket and tells me I can have one meat. I asked one meat? She said one of each type. So I can’t get my regular shopping list? I get one hamburger, one chicken gizzard (cook for my dogs)and had to put the rest back, she stood there, too. (also there wasn’t any signage stating this)
I don’t see what they’re accomplishing, people just go back again and again and it causes more panic in people. I will now need to go out again to another store to try and fulfill my list.
I don’t think this shut down makes much sense at all. I now go to the store more than I ever did before- just trying to shop my weekly list. No hoarding. I don’t want excess money tied up in overstock. I had my shtf containers already.
Today was my *enough* line.
Best estimate (per Google maps), the local Walmart is 120,000 square feet. That comes out to 600 people. Maybe it’s because I’m in a rural area, but I can’t imagine 600 shoppers in there at once...
I’m not even sure they’d have enough parking spaces for that!
It’s a nuisance and I think unnecessary, but it really doesn’t take that long to get in - people come and go quickly, and the employees who monitor the doors have radios. The one-way aisle might be a nuisance though.
That said, this is madness.
I am in a rural area as well. 32 miles round trip m/l to our local WM that is a smaller version of super WMs. Only one other real grocery store and a Dollar General. 60 miles m/l to bigger city w/2 Super WM, Aldi, Sams Club (No Costco dang it)and a mid size regional chain food store. And its a college town ! THIS IS NUTS ! Trump, what are you doing ???
Drove by a Wal-Mart this morning...no people waiting; even with rope line set up. I never go to that dump anyway...went to Aldi’s and Kroger...in and out, no problem.
WalFart fears bands of roving looters, which is coming down the pike soon.
Refusing the gibmedats the free shit will be denounced as racist.
Welcome to Bizzaro World
“Walmart is domed to bankruptcy...”
They are the perfect facility for shopping in this atmosphere. They contain a huge inventory of things while their competitors are forced to be closed. But because they contain food, they will be selling other items that can be carried home in the back of that pickup and there is no problem if they buy a loaf of bread.
So any food containing selling facility that also has paint, toys, furniture, televisions, anything else, will get their applied sales. People are trapped in a house they never thought they were going to hermit into. They are starved for entertainment, so anything from board games and playing cards, to wide screen tv’s and paint will be purchased during the food run. And the state can’t do a thing about it. Most Costcoes, Fred Meyers, Walmarts, and Sam’s Clubs will see a controlled increase in profit just because they have food in their stores and no employees as they don’t need all of them and they are on an hourly scale, so they can be laid off or just not scheduled.
Additionally, they will be cutting the amount of associates on the floor so they will not need so much HR. They will bring in a minimum night shift to stock, and only put out fires during the day.
They won’t be hurt as they will cut their costs down to balance out their profit margin. Especially when they will pay their employees the lowest minimum wage of any state they are in, in the US.
rwood
Went to Aldi this morning - weekly grocery run. Got there 12 minutes before opening. The carts were all pre-quartered. People were lining up in a safe distance. Probably 15 in front of me. Snaking around the entrance and through the parking lot. At 9:00 the doors opened and everyone did what they’re supposed to do.
We got some liquid soap (first time since 3/17) and a 12 pack of TP (also first time seen on a shelf since 3/17).
No issues.
Not a problem for me either. Never liked Wal Mart and refuse to patronize ever since they put up the no firearms restriction. Too many violent felons and Somolli bandits in there.
In case of fire all the exits would be open. I saw a closed exit yesterday and asked about it. “Fire exit only.”
I pick up a buddy at WM and while waiting for her to come out, I see well over half the people coming and going are very obese. Many smoke right up to the door. Many are elderly.
Can’t imagine the elderly standing in line for any length of time.
Whoever does this will be able to have quite a business. Good point.
The changes will likely make more things I usually order be in stock, as the panic purchasers will drift away from Wally World due to lines.
Sam’s now has concierge service. I wonder if they will fill orders for case lots of soups, for instance? I can’t see them breaking a twelve pack to give out only two cans.
Use their online ordering and pick up at the designated spots, just drive up and get it loaded for you.
At 72, and with underlying health issues, and with a connective tissue disorder, I won’t be going to Walmart to stand outside with others. They can kiss my ass. The one here has had empty shelves for the past three years, which had nothing to do with the virus. I’ll go to the other two grocery stores near me if I need anything.
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