Walmart has said that it is taking steps to sanitise shopping carts and is tackling price gouging by third-party sellers as it seeks to deal with the growing coronavirus outbreak in the US.
The retail giant said that it is in 'close communication' with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as other health organisations on a daily basis, with the number of confirmed cases in the US now past the 1,000 mark.
'High-Touch, High-Traffic Areas'
The retailer is cleaning stores thoroughly, including using sanitising solutions in 'high-touch, high-traffic areas', it said, as well as directing more personnel to daily cleaning tasks.
'We’ve seen increased foot traffic, so we’re sending additional cleaning supplies for use in places like the registers and on shopping carts,' it said.
With regard to shopping carts, it said that it has 'plans in place' for third party sanitisation should it be required, as well as evaluating whether to modify store hours at some 24-hour facilities.
When it comes to restocking, Walmart said that 'paper products, cleaning supplies and other items are in high demand', and that it is working quickly to replenish these items 'including diverting products to areas of the country where they are needed most and routing deliveries directly to stores'.
Price Gouging
It also confirmed that it has advised its managers to have discretion to limit sales quantities on items that are in 'unusually high demand', as well as tackling price gouging by third-party sellers on its online platforms.
It encouraged shoppers to report any instances of price gouging to its customer care team, saying such activities would 'not be tolerated'.
Finally, the retailer has curtailed company travel over the next couple of months, and is affording extra flexibility to its personnel if they wish to stay at home or are feeling unwell.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
