Walmart to Resume Counting Customers as COVID-19 Cases Surge
In response to the latest spike in COVID-19 cases, Walmart is again limiting their capacity in stores.
According to CBS DFW, the retailer had instituted a self-imposed 20% maximum capacity back in April, during the initial surge in cases across the country. However, the stores haven’t been adhering to that for a while.
At that time, Texas had a relatively low number of cases compared to many other states. These days, however, things are much different with Texas having the highest number of cases in the country. In fact, it was just last week that the news broke of the Lone Star State being the first state to exceed 1,000,000 cases.
Walmart spokesperson Kory Lundberg says the company is taking the step out of an abundance of caution:
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. Out of an abundance of caution, we have resumed counting the number of people entering and leaving our stores.
Customers are encouraged to shop online and do curbside pickup. But, for those who insist upon doing their shopping in-store can expect to line up single-file outside of the store and wait to receive a sanitized shopping cart at the entrance. Masks are required and social distancing and one-way lanes will be enforced.
Walmart announced in October that it would be doing Black Friday differently this year. Instead of the usual bib Black Friday event, the retail giant will hold three separate events known as “Black Friday Deals for Days.”