Walmart Require Shoppers to Wear Face Masks

[Katniss]

Quote

July 15, 2020
By Dacona Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Walmart U.S., and Lance de la Rosa, Chief Operating Officer, Sam’s Club

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our focus and priority has been and continues to be on the health and safety of our associates, members and customers.

As the number of confirmed cases has spiked in communities across the country recently, so too have the number and types of face covering mandates being implemented. Currently about 65 percent of our more than 5,000 stores and clubs are located in areas where there is some form of government mandate on face coverings. To help bring consistency across stores and clubs, we will require all shoppers to wear a face covering starting Monday, July 20. This will give us time to inform customers and members of the changes, post signage and train associates on the new protocols.

A Simple Step to Help Keep You Safe: Walmart and Sam’s Club Require Shoppers to Wear Face Coverings

Apparently Kroger will require face coverings as well.

Kroger To Require Face Coverings In All Stores Nationwide

Just like requiring shirt and shoes. Soon all places of business will do the same. 

Edited July 15, 2020 by Katniss

[Bed of chaos]

I think it's been mandatory (at Walmart) in my city for months (Wilkes Barre). I try to avoid going there. It's like a circus. About 50% of the customers act oblivious and don't social distance.

[+Desertrat56]

13 minutes ago, Katniss said:

A Simple Step to Help Keep You Safe: Walmart and Sam’s Club Require Shoppers to Wear Face Coverings

Apparently Kroger will require face coverings as well.

Kroger To Require Face Coverings In All Stores Nationwide

Just like requiring shirt and shoes. Soon all places of business will do the same. 

Where are you?  In my state this has been true since the end of March and now people and businesses that don't comply will be fined because people are not wearing masks and businesses were not turning them away if they were not.  Some business were but some weren't. 

[+Desertrat56]

1 minute ago, Bed of chaos said:

I think it's been mandatory (at Walmart) in my city for months (Wilkes Barre). I try to avoid going there. It's like a circus. About 50% of the customers act oblivious and don't social distance.

Yeah, I hated Walmart before the virus but now I have no reason to ever go in one, except that the staff are probably turning people away if they don't have a  mask on.  The social distancing is another issue, people standing in line to get in to a store for some reason all go the same direction to the same aisle.    What is that about?  I saw it at Costco and at the grocery store.

[+and-then]

I just got home 15 minutes ago from a Walmart.  The employees all wear masks but so far, it seems optional for customers.  I've seen signage that says people must wear them but nothing is done to those who refuse.

[HandsomeGorilla]

I don't even shop there without there being a pistol to the side of my head, but holy crap, that is one place you wanna wear a mask, ffs! 

[+and-then]

15 minutes ago, HandsomeGorilla said:

I don't even shop there without there being a pistol to the side of my head, but holy crap, that is one place you wanna wear a mask, ffs! 

I wear a mask in public, period.  It's irresponsible not to do so.  OTOH, I don't get fussed or stressed when others choose not to.  People have a right, for a while yet, to refuse government diktats.  Getting too comfortable with "rules" that are set down by any politician is a bad trend.  If something is that necessary, let it be voted on and let it become LAW.  

[Imaginarynumber1]

34 minutes ago, and then said:

People have a right, for a while yet, to refuse government diktats.  Getting too comfortable with "rules" that are set down by any politician is a bad trend.  If something is that necessary, let it be voted on and let it become LAW.  

It could be argued that in this case, with masks, you don't have the right to refuse. 

Supreme Court ruling of Jacobson v Massachusetts:  "in every well ordered society charged with the duty of conserving the safety of its members the rights of the individual in respect of his liberty may at times, under the pressure of great dangers, be subjected to such restraint, to be enforced by reasonable regulations, as the safety of the general public may demand" and that "[r]eal liberty for all could not exist under the operation of a principle which recognizes the right of each individual person to use his own, whether in respect of his person or his property, regardless of the injury that may be done to others."

[Katniss]

1 hour ago, Desertrat56 said:

Where are you?  In my state this has been true since the end of March and now people and businesses that don't comply will be fined because people are not wearing masks and businesses were not turning them away if they were not.  Some business were but some weren't. 

Lol. I don't want to tell you. The state I live in is backwards behind the times. And apparently more than I thought.

 

 

[Kittens Are Jerks]

10 minutes ago, and then said:

I wear a mask in public, period.  It's irresponsible not to do so.  OTOH, I don't get fussed or stressed when others choose not to.  People have a right, for a while yet, to refuse government diktats.  Getting too comfortable with "rules" that are set down by any politician is a bad trend.  If something is that necessary, let it be voted on and let it become LAW.  

It's law here where I'm at. Individuals must wear a mask (or face covering) when they are in indoor public spaces. Businesses and other establishments with indoor spaces that are accessible to the public (grocery stores, malls, libraries, churches, etc.) must also follow the by-law. If for medical reasons a person cannot wear a mask, they are not forced to, nor are they required to provide proof of their condition. The law is temporary but will be in effect until at least the end of September (maybe longer depending). I rarely see a person in my area without a mask now, which is a good thing.

[Tatetopa]

1 hour ago, Desertrat56 said:

Yeah, I hated Walmart before the virus but now I have no reason to ever go in one, except that the staff are probably turning people away if they don't have a  mask on.  The social distancing is another issue, people standing in line to get in to a store for some reason all go the same direction to the same aisle.    What is that about?  I saw it at Costco and at the grocery store.

Might be silly, but I saw small stores close in the little town my sister lived in when Walmart came along.  I got on the buy American thing and avoided cheap Chinese junk and Walmart.  No offense to Chinese at  all, we buy that cheap junk, nobody twists our arm.  Its pretty hard to buy American sometimes,  I burned out my Homelites and  McCullochs and have a Stihl now.

[glorybebe]

2 minutes ago, Kittens Are Jerks said:

It's law here where I'm at. Individuals must wear a mask (or face covering) when they are in indoor public spaces. Businesses and other establishments with indoor spaces that are accessible to the public (grocery stores, malls, libraries, churches, etc.) must also follow the by-law. If for medical reasons a person cannot wear a mask, they are not forced to, nor are they required to provide proof of their condition. The law is temporary but will be in effect until at least the end of September (maybe longer depending). I rarely see a person in my area without a mask now, which is a good thing.

In BC it isn't mandatory.  We had so low a number of infections, they were only recommending distancing and following the arrows.  Now that we have a huge amount of new cases in the interior,  I expect masks to become mandatory.

[Kittens Are Jerks]

41 minutes ago, glorybebe said:

In BC it isn't mandatory.  We had so low a number of infections, they were only recommending distancing and following the arrows.  Now that we have a huge amount of new cases in the interior,  I expect masks to become mandatory.

Ontario was hit pretty hard but we're finally seeing a downward trend. My city accounted for around 60% of all provincial cases which is why people here are being especially careful and compliant. It pretty much seems like a return to (near) normal, with the exception of masks and social distancing still in effect.

[ian hacktorp]

Here's how social distancing and other 'safe practices' were handled during the flu pandemic of 1969:

These people were not rioting and destroying public works, btw.  Maybe we could learn from them...

[+Desertrat56]

12 hours ago, Katniss said:

Lol. I don't want to tell you. The state I live in is backwards behind the times. And apparently more than I thought.

 

 

I can guess what area of the country you live in by that answer. 

[+Desertrat56]

12 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

Might be silly, but I saw small stores close in the little town my sister lived in when Walmart came along.  I got on the buy American thing and avoided cheap Chinese junk and Walmart.  No offense to Chinese at  all, we buy that cheap junk, nobody twists our arm.  Its pretty hard to buy American sometimes,  I burned out my Homelites and  McCullochs and have a Stihl now.

The same thing has happened in small towns all over the U.S.   The city  my sister lives in (in NM we only have 3 that qualify as a city) Walmart came in and all the chain grocery stores left except Albertsons (which is way too expensive), so everyone has to use Walmart, Albertsons or the one small local grocery store that survived because of it's location.  My sister calls it "The Walmart".  If they want to go to a real grocery store they  have to drive to El Paso.

[Dustyrose33]

I don't blame Walmart and think it's the right thing to do.   I remember when this virus first started I was at a Walmart in Ardmore, Ok when I started hearing a woman constantly coughing hard a few isles over.   Then she came to the isle I was in, still coughing hard, never covered her nose and mouth.  Needless to say I quickly left the area and could still hear her.

[+Desertrat56]

6 minutes ago, Dustyrose33 said:

I don't blame Walmart and think it's the right thing to do.   I remember when this virus first started I was at a Walmart in Ardmore, Ok when I started hearing a woman constantly coughing hard a few isles over.   Then she came to the isle I was in, still coughing hard, never covered her nose and mouth.  Needless to say I quickly left the area and could still hear her.

I had a similar experience in Walgreens, and the person was a meth head, she couldn't stand still, kept complalining and when the line moved she tried to jump ahead of me in line.  I yelled at her so she got behind me again and b****ed the whole time, I made sure I  moved as slow as possible and asked the clerk a few questions. 

[Kittens Are Jerks]

I'm surprised Walmart didn't take this opportunity to make all shoppers wear face masks AND pants.

[Imaginarynumber1]

13 hours ago, hacktorp said:

Here's how social distancing and other 'safe practices' were handled during the flu pandemic of 1969:

These people were not rioting and destroying public works, btw.  Maybe we could learn from them...

I noticed that you omitted that the flu pandemic had already peaked by late December 68, early January 69. And by March of 69, cases were way down and the first wave was over. The flu wouldn't return until around November of that year. Woodstock occurred in August of 69, not during the highest recorded cases seen yet.

Edited July 16, 2020 by Imaginarynumber1

[MajorasMask]

It's been a thing for months now.  Not sure who got the memo late.

[Imaginarynumber1]

7 minutes ago, LeonKennedy said:

It's been a thing for months now.  Not sure who got the memo late.

Several states and cities have mandated masks. Walmart themselves have not u till now. 

[stereologist]

I don't use the Kroger anymore because the stores do not enforce the mask mandate. Only about half the shoppers use face masks. I use another grocery store where nearly everyone has on a face mask.

I think face masks are a sign of people's attitude. Those wearing masks are more likely to be careful in other areas of hygiene.

Edited July 16, 2020 by stereologist

[+Desertrat56]

2 minutes ago, stereologist said:

I don't use the Kroger anymore because the stores do not enforce the mask mandate. Only about half the shoppers use face masks. I use another grocery store where nearly everyone has on a face mask.

I think face masks are a sign of people's attitude. Those wearing masks are more likely to be careful in other areas of hygiene.

The Kroger stores in NM ( called Smiths) did enforce the mask requirement very strickly until the governor loosened the requirements and allowed restaraunts to open.  But still, most people do wear masks.  I have not been since the governor decreed a fine for anyone not wearing a mask and an additional fine for any business allowing someone in without a mask.  I suspect they have gone back to their strict policy.

Maybe it has to do with the attitude of the state or county governance where you are.  If you are in Texas outside of Dallas County I could see that Kroger would be more lax.

[odas]

1 hour ago, Kittens Are Jerks said:

I'm surprised Walmart didn't take this opportunity to make all shoppers wear face masks AND pants.

Common, that was a one time thing. I forgot my meds. Gosh.