Target May Limit Customers in Stores

   By Micah Maidenberg 
 

Target Corp. may limit the number of people allowed to enter its stores at any given time, an effort by the company to encourage social distancing and another example of how the coronavirus is forcing retailers to change operations.

Target said that starting Saturday it will actively monitor and meter traffic when needed.

"Occupancy limits will vary by location and be determined by the store's specific square footage to enhance the average space per person and reduce the possibility of congestion," the Minneapolis-based retailer said.

Grocers and other retailers have struggled to keep up with a surge in demand for food and other goods, as consumers stock up as the pandemic keeps them mostly indoors.

Target also said it will provide store and distribution-center employees with disposable face masks and gloves. The company will "strongly encourage that they be worn while working," it said. Masks and gloves will arrive at stores and distribution sites within the next two weeks.

At some factory sites, workers have protested that companies aren't doing enough to prevent coronavirus infections and asked for more protective gear, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

Walmart Inc. has said it will start taking temperatures of U.S. store workers at the start of each shift and offering masks for employees.

Write to Micah Maidenberg at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 02, 2020 17:07 ET (21:07 GMT)

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