Increasing complexity of Retail Interaction

Am now a more careful observer of store behavior.

What should retailers do about social distancing renegades?

by Tom Ryan in Retailwire   with expert commentary.

Last week, a security guard at a Family Dollar in Michigan was fatally shot after telling a customer to wear a face mask.

Other high-profile incidents involving rebellion against social distancing mandates:

On May 6, a women shot a McDonald’s employee in Oklahoma City after being told the dining room was closed;
On May 2, a man wiped his nose and face on a Dollar Tree worker’s shirt after being told in-store customers must wear a mask;
On May 2, a man wore a Ku Klux Klan hood while shopping at a Vons a day after health officials in San Diego ordered face coverings to be worn in public;
On May 2, an employee and customers at a Stop and Shop in Massachusetts tackled a man who coughed and spit on produce.
More common are the minor confrontations on selling floors between customers and associates or between customers over social distancing requirements.

“I think what you’re seeing in this situation is really what you’re seeing in a variety of situations across the country, which is this tension about opening and people’s concern about it,” said Chris Kempczinski, McDonald’s CEO, in an interview on Good Morning America following the Oklahoma City incident.

In store aisles, it’s fairly common to see customers sidestepping workers restocking shelves or brushing by customers in violation of the six-feet apart rule. Incidents of shoppers openly or mistakenly disregarding one-way aisles have also been reported.   ... "