Although the COVID-19 pandemic has obviously been chaotic for just about everyone, those in essential jobs have had to face the brunt of that chaos every day for months.
It is for that reason that we’ve seen retailers adopt protective measures in response to the coronavirus. Depending on where you are, these could take the form of social distancing circles, thick plastic screens at checkouts, policies requiring customers to wear masks, or all three of these options.
And while Walmart has joined the ranks of retailers with official policies requiring face masks in all stores, it seems that they’re not done changing how things typically work in their company to better cope with these unusual times.
Even when the pandemic was starting to become a global crisis, the experience of shopping at Walmart was different than usual.
According to USA Today , most Walmart locations operated at reduced hours of 7 am to 8:30 pm starting in March, and offered a reserved hour starting at 6 am for seniors. Restrictions were loosened in August, when 85% of stores extended their hours, closing at 10 pm instead. Hours were extended again starting November 14, with stores closing at 11 pm.
But when our minds turn torward the chaos that often ensues on Black Friday, it’s hard not to wonder how this year will be different.
As Business Insider reported , Walmart and other retailers had already faced criticism that remaining open on Thanksgiving to tap into the Black Friday hype keeps employees from spending the holiday with their families.
Adding that usual issue to the context of a pandemic would likely make for even tougher circumstances.
So as CEO John Furner said in a statement, the company took a suggestion of an associate named Kevin Carlyle from Round Rock, Texas, to address both concerns.
As he said, “We know holiday shopping will be different this year, and we will be managing sales events differently. Our best ideas come from our associates, and this year we have decided to close our stores on Thanksgiving Day – November 26.”
As USA Today reported , this marks the first time Walmart will have closed on Thanksgiving since the late 1980s as most Walmart locations usually only close on Christmas.
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Walmart stores will operate at regular hours on Wednesday, November 25, but won’t open again until 5 am on November 27, Black Friday.
As Furner said, “We know it’s been a trying year, and you’ve stepped up. We want you to enjoy the day at home with your loved ones.”
Walmart will still be open for business online, of course.
Walmart’s Black Friday deals began online on November 25 at 7 pm Eastern Time, and new deals will start up at 12 am November 27, before the stores open their doors at 5 am.
Walmart is also planning additional safety measures to help deal with the typical chaos, AL.com reported. They included providing sanitized shopping carts, asking customers to form a single, straight line to enter the store, limiting the number of shoppers in the store at any one time, and asking customers to stick to the righthand side of the aisles while shopping.
h/t: USA Today
