SYLACAUGA, Ala. – Your local Walmart is limiting the number of people allowed in its stores at the same time.
The change, which 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, went into place over the weekend.
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.
“In this taxing and uncertain time, our associates have gone above and beyond to help Americans get the food, medicine and supplies they need,” said Dacona Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Walmart U.S. “We care deeply about our associates’ health and well-being, and in recent weeks we’ve taken steps such as expanding our paid leave policies; closing our stores overnight for cleanings and restocking; installing sneeze guards and social distance markers in stores; beginning temperature checks; and starting to make gloves and masks available to associates who want them.”
Walmart will also institute one-way movement through its aisles this week in a number of stores, using floor markers and direction from associates. “We expect this to help more customers avoid coming into close contact with others as they shop,” Smith explained.
“We’ll continue to put signage inside our stores 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. 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. We look forward to the time when that is again the case; however, we now want to prioritize health and safety by encouraging customers to do their shopping at a distance from others, then head home.”
