Target and CVS have joined other nationwide retailers in requiring face coverings in stores. Best Buy has also announced its requirement that customers wear masks.
Face coverings for customers and employees will be required in Target starting Aug. 1, according to the Associated Press. CVS will start to require face coverings July 20, according to a corporate press release.
CVS has already required that employees wear masks and is now extending the requirement to customers to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, Chief Operating Officer Jon Roberts said in the release.
"To be clear, we're not asking our store employees to play the role of enforcer. What we are asking is that customers help protect themselves and those around them by listening to the experts and heeding the call to wear a face covering," he said.
Updated 4:35 p.m. July 15
Kroger announced via Twitter on July 15 the company will require all of its customers—as well as employees—to wear masks while shopping at all Kroger stores nationwide beginning July 22.
Posted July 15With the increase in #COVID19 cases across the country, we are committed to doing our part to help reduce the spread of the virus. Starting July 22, we will require all customers in all locations to wear a mask, joining our associates who continue to wear masks. pic.twitter.com/r9WPD3QNFa
— Kroger News (@KrogerNews) July 15, 2020
Walmart and Sam's Club leaders announced in a press release July 15 all stores nationwide will require shoppers to wear a face covering beginning July 20.
Government mandates requiring face coverings apply to about 65% of the more than 5,000 stores and clubs, according to the release, but the face covering requirement seeks to bring consistency across stores nationwide.
Signage will be posted at the front of all stores noting the requirement.
Walmart has also created a new health ambassador role, an employee who will be stationed near store entrances to remind customers of the mask requirements, according to the release. Ambassadors will wear black polo shirts so that they are easy to identify, and they will work with customers who are not wearing a mask to find a solution.
Additionally, all Walmart stores will have a single entrance beginning July 20.
At Sam's Clubs, the release states associates at the entry way will remind shoppers of the mask requirement. Complimentary masks will be provided if a shopper arrives without one.
According to the release, associates will also be trained on how to navigate exceptions for those shoppers for whom wearing a face covering is not possible.
"Our associates will be trained on those exceptions to help reduce friction for the shopper and make the process as easy as possible for everyone," wrote the chief operating officers of Walmart and Sam's Club. "We know some people have differing opinions on this topic. We also recognize the role we can play to help protect the health and well-being of the communities we serve by following the evolving guidance of health officials like the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]."
