Big Box Stores Start To Limit Customer Access



Alex Lloyd Gross- Photo- Delaware Valley News.com Workers at Wal-Mart keep the line in order

by Alex Lloyd Gross

When governors shut down “non essential ” businesses they killed lot of small businesses. The owners of those businesses were furious and rightfully so,  Due to connections, big box stores like Wal-Mart and Target were permitted to stay open.  So While Tina’s Hair Salon must close,  these big retailers can sell the same products. The same thing  for paint,  electronics etc.  The owners of small businesses that may get 100 people through their doors a day  have to sit while thousands plow through the doors at Wal-Mart, buying cheap goods that they sell but are not allowed to.

Employees are upset as well. As people gather in the store, some for hours, not buying anything, just treating the excursion as a day out for a few hours.  People are coming in close contact with each other . In this climate, it is dangerous.  Starting today, April 4, 2020, Wal-Mart is limiting customers access to the store. They are urged to line up and when a certain number of people are in the store, the line is cut off.  As  five people leave, another five get to enter. At the Philadelphia Mills Store,  employees use a computer to track the amount of customers, and communicate with other stores employees via radio.

At the Wal-Mart location at Philadelphia Mills, the magic number was 500. For the most part, customers were orderly, and the line moved quick. This prevents a mad rush and overcrowding in aisles and at cash registers. It also prevents people from coming in to get out of the house. They can be better tracked and store personnel can ask them to leave.

As some small business owners challenge the governors order,  this takes away a major argument, that big box stores do not practice social distancing.  Look for other essential businesses to follow suit.