To encourage social distancing in this new age of Covid-19, the Linton Walmart is following in the footsteps of its corporate management in seeking to encourage social distancing. After its Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Dacona Smith, said in a statement, “[W]e have been concerned to still see some behaviors in our stores that put undue risk on our people.”
Smith continued with, “[T]he 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.”
A new “one-out, one-in” basis of admitting customers once the store hits the new, lower capacity level of five (5) customers per one-thousand (1,000) square feet at any given time will be enforced, as well as one-way only movement through aisles in most stores, to help customers avoid coming into close contact with others as they shop for items. After check out, customers will be directed to a different exit than they entered, as to avoid customers passing each other too closely.
Expect bottlenecks because the retailer advised that their newly imposed customer limit will be only about twenty percent (20%) of store capacity. Signage and markings will encourage customers outside the store waiting to shop to stay at least six feet (6’) from each other.
It’s certainly a new world… even in our small City of Linton, Indiana.