Walmart Limits Customers at its Spring Branch Supercenter

Starting today, Walmart is limiting the number of customers who can shop at its Spring Branch Walmart Supercenter to no more than five customers for each 1,000-square feet — roughly 20-percent of a store’s capacity.

Dacona Smith, Walmart’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, made the announcement on his blog on walmart.com yesterday.

He said the company is concerned about “some behaviors in our stores that put undue risk on our people.”

On March 27 a person who shopped at the Bulverde-area H-E-B and Spring Branch Walmart Supercenter tested positive for COVID-19.

Smith said states and municipalities have set varying policies regarding crowd control, which has addecd to shoppers’ confusion.

“We want to encourage customers to bring the fewest  number of people per family necessary to shop, allow for space with other customers while shopping, and practice social distancing while waiting in lines,” Smith said.

To manage new restrictions, associates at stores will mark a queue at a single-entry door (usually the grocery entrance) and direct customers there. Customers will be admitted one-by-one and counted.

Associates and signage will remind customers of the importance of social distancing while waiting to enter — especially before stores open each morning.

Once a store reaches capacity customers will be admitted inside on a “1-out-1-in” basis, he said.

Beginning next week Walmart will institute one-way movement through ailes in number of stores using floor markers and direction from associates.

“We expect this to help more customers avoid coming into close contact with others as they shop,” Smith said.

After customers check out they will be directed to exit through a diferent door than the one they entered to lessen the instances of people closely passing each other.

Walmart already has expanded its paid leave policies, closed stores overnights for cleaning and restocking, installed sneeze guards and social-distance markers in stores, begun temperature checks, and made gloves and masks available to associates who want them.

Anyone 60 years an older can still shop the store and visit its pharmacies one hour before the store opens at 8:30 a.m.

Walmart is open from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The pharmacy is open until 7 p.m., and the pharmacy drive-thru closes at 8:30 p.m. Pickup closes at 8 p.m. The photo center is open until 8 p.m.

The store’s auto-care center and vision center are closed.