FREMONT – Walmart stores across the country will begin regulating store entry beginning Saturday, April 4th.
Walmart will limit the number of customers allowed in a store at once. Stores will now allow no more than five customers per 1,000 square feet at any given time, which equates to roughly 20 percent of each store’s capacity.
To manage this restriction, the associates in store will mark a queue at the “grocery side” doors. Customers will line up there, if necessary, and 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.
Families should designate a single household shopper, who should shop alone, so that as many households as possible can get their shopping done.
Once a store reaches its capacity, customers will be admitted inside on a “1-out-1-in” basis.
Shopping Inside the Store
Walmart will also institute one-way movement through our aisles next week in a number of stores, using floor markers and direction from associates. Walmart expects this to help more customers avoid coming into close contact with others as they shop.
There will be signage inside stores to remind customers of the need to maintain social distancing – especially in lines. 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.
Walmart also discourages people from congregating or visiting in the store. “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,” said the company in a release.
