Customer Limits Put in Place at Walmart for Social Distancing Purposes

BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP – Citing the need to “encourage social distancing,” the Mill Hall Walmart Saturday joined the national chain in limiting the number of customers in its stores at any one time. The local store set up overturned carts to create an outside controlled entryway at its grocery-end entrance.

Saturday morning saw customers lined up outside the store, keeping social distance, waiting to be allowed in, but by early afternoon the line was gone.

Walmart had announced the plans on Friday, in a release stating, “While many of our customers have been following the advice of the medical community regarding social distancing and safety, we have been concerned to still see some behaviors in our stores that put undue risk on our people. We want to encourage customers to bring the fewest number of people per family necessary to shop, allow for space with other customers while shopping, and practice social distancing while waiting in lines. We’re also seeing states and municipalities set varying policies regarding crowd control – which has created some confusion regarding shopping.”

As per store entry, the release said:

“Starting Saturday, we will limit the number of customers who can be in a store at once. Stores 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.

“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.”