Walmart limiting shoppers in stores; Costco requiring face masks
Walmart has resumed counting and monitoring the number of customers that enter and leave its stores, according to CNN.
The move comes as United States coronavirus cases are hitting new highs each day and a million cases were reported in the past week.
Last April, the company began limiting the number of people to 20% of each store capacity, or lower if mandated by local officials. But its stores stopped counting the number of customers that entered it stores.
“We know from months of metering data in our stores that the vast majority of the time our stores didn’t reach our self-imposed 20% metering capacity,” Kory Lundberg, a Walmart spokesperson, told CNN. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have resumed counting the number of people entering and leaving our stores.”
Like other major retailers, Walmart is spreading Black Friday sales over time to limit the number of people in stores during the holiday season.
Walmart will spread out its Black Friday savings this year from one single day to three events to bring customers “Black Friday Deals for Days.” The reinvented Black Friday experience will offer customers the retailer’s best prices of the season on the most sought-after items on 2020 holiday wish lists during three separate savings events across the month of November. Each savings event will begin online at Walmart.com and continue in Walmart stores. And new this year, customers will have the option to pick up their online order through Walmart’s contact-free curbside pickup service.
The Review-Journal is awaiting for a response about procedures at Las Vegas area stores.
Costco requiring masks for all
Costco Wholesale Corp. will require all employees and customers to wear face masks or face shields starting Monday, according to MarketWatch.
Costco has required masks in stores since May 4, but customers who could not wear face masks due to a medical condition were exempt from that rule. That will no longer be the case.
“If a member has a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask, they must wear a face shield at Costco,” Chief Executive Craig Jelinek said in a letter to members Thursday.
The new rules will apply to all but children under 2.
“This updated policy may seem inconvenient to some, however we believe the added safety is worth any inconvenience,” Jelinek said. “Our goal is to continue to provide a safe shopping environment for our members and guests, and to provide a safe work environment for our employees.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.
