East Lake Norman News

Walmart is limiting capacity at stores to encourage social distancing and help prevent the spread of COVID-19," a state senator said.  

"Walmart Stores are changing their shopping process to encourage social distancing in response to COVID-19," North Carolina state Sen. Vickie Sawyer (R-Iredell) said in a Facebook post on April 4. "Make sure you're aware of their new policies."  

The company said it is limiting capacity to 20% of its normal level, Sawyer posted. This means five customers for every 1,000 feet of shopping space or approximately 910 customers are allowed at one time, according to Fox 17. 

"Starting today, Saturday, April 4, we will limit the number of customers who can be in a store at once," Walmart said in a press release. "Stores will now allow no more than five customers for every 1,000 square feet at a given time, roughly 20 percent of a store’s capacity. Once a store reaches its capacity, customers will be admitted inside on a '1-out-1-in' basis."

Since the company is counting the number of guests entering and exiting, it is restricting the entrance to one door. Customers exiting the store are directed to leave through a different door. It is also encouraging families to shop with as few members as possible. 

“We want to encourage customers to bring the fewest number of people per family necessary to shop,” Walmart said.  

To help customers follow social distancing rules, the company will add signs and floor markers to help direct shoppers in a one-way movement, according to Fox 17. 

"Also, we will institute one-way movement through our aisles next week in a number of our stores, using floor markers and direction from associates," Walmart said. "We expect this to help more customers avoid coming into close contact with others as they shop."

Walmart said it will continue to follow the guidance of medical experts to keep its staff and customers safe. 

"We always want people to feel welcome at Walmart, and we know that in ordinary times a store is a gathering place for members of a community to connect and socialize," Walmart said. "We look forward to the time when that is again the case; however, we now want to prioritize health and safety by encouraging customers to do their shopping at a distance from others, then head home."