Retailers grapple with mask use as cases climb
DETROIT — With the delta variant fueling fears of a fourth COVID-19 surge, weary operators of shops, restaurants and other retail businesses face a quandary: Do they reinstitute mask mandates — in line with advice from national, state and local health officials — and risk backlash from customers tired of restrictions as the pandemic reaches a year and a half ?
Smaller stores might be more likely to require or request that patrons wear masks, while larger stores and chains might be more lenient, experts say. One business, Michigan First Credit Union, has taken a stance in the opposite direction, instead frowning on mask usage — unless the masks are clear.
Big chain retailers like Walmart and Home Depot are taking a middle approach: They’re requiring masks for employees and unvaccinated customers, and encouraging mask usage for shoppers who have gotten the shots.
Jennifer Rook, vice president of communications and marketing for the Michigan Retailers Association, said businesses are concerned about backlash from customers.
“In the spirit of the safety of the employees, a number of retailers have said, ‘You know if customers are walking in without masks on, let them,’ “she said. “It’s not worth getting into a confrontation about. Employees are still wearing masks.
“I have started to see retailers say ‘will you please put a mask on, it’s in the safety of everyone in our store, it’s a smaller setting for our employees.’ I’m starting to see masks being put out again, but it’s not consistent. It’s really a case-by-case basis.”
Some stores are considering the level of transmission in their area when adopting mask policies, said Julie Swann, a department head and professor of the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University. She has done work forecasting and modeling interventions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Swann said a pharmacy might be more likely to ask patrons to wear masks due to serving a vulnerable clientele than a hardware store that has a mix of customers. Store owners may also take into account the size of their store, she said.
“Places that have smaller spaces, ceilings that are not as tall, it’s an all-indoor setting as opposed to being partially outdoors, it’s a crowded setting,” she said. “All of those things make the environment higher-risk than a big store where you have more space to spread out.”
At least one business has frowned upon masks in recent weeks. A sign outside of Michigan First Credit Union in Eastpointe last week stated: “No masks preferred. Clear masks permitted.”
In early August, the credit union had asked its customers at its standalone branches to not wear masks, posting a sign stating, “We want to see your smiling face. Please no face coverings.” Branches inside Walmart and Kroger stores follow the guidelines of those businesses, according to the credit union, which has 27 branches in Metro Detroit and the Lansing area.
Credit union officials say they are changing their policy to ban masks that aren’t transparent.