OPINION (Michael Snyder) – Things are really starting to get crazy out there. All over the country, “non-essential” businesses have been forced to shut down, but because Walmart sells food and other basic supplies it gets to be one of the “essential” businesses that stay open. However, a trip to your local Walmart now will be far different from what you remember previously.
When you arrive, you will find that a very narrow entry corridor has been taped off with yellow security tape, and only a very limited number of shoppers are being allowed in at any one time. And once you get inside, you will discover that there are very strict limits on what you are permitted to purchase. I know that all of this sounds incredibly bizarre, but it is really happening. The following is what one of my contacts reported when she visited her local Walmart…
Wow, so we just got back from Walmart in Pine Bluff, AR….they herded us in, like cattle…I kid you not….we had to go through a taped-off line and they had only one door open instead of the two they normally have. They have a 5 person limit in Magnolia, AR…..and security guards at the door as well…armed security guards. You can only buy one loaf of bread and the store closed at 7PM…normally open 24 hours. It is CRAZY….someone opened a side door by accident and alarms started going off. I joked to the lady next to me “Oh crap, someone must have taken more than a dozen eggs!”
You can see some video of what these taped off entry corridors looks like right here. Obviously a lot of the customers are quite concerned about potentially catching the virus because they are wearing masks or other coverings over their mouths. And it is also being reported that very creepy social distancing instructions are being repeatedly broadcast over the speakers as shoppers circulate through the stores. Just days ago, Walmart stores all over the nation were operating normally.
But then on Friday, draconian new restrictions were suddenly announced… 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. READ MORE
