At a time when the nation’s largest retailers have implemented mask mandates across the country in their stores in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, Winn-Dixie, a supermarket that operates hundreds of stores in the south , has said that Another way will go.
In an email seen by The Washington Post this week, Joe Caldwell, head of corporate communications for Southeastern Grocers, owner of Winn-Dixie, said the chain will not require masks at its stores.
“Our associates have seen that masking mandates are a very charged problem with our clients. We don’t want to put our associates in a position to navigate interpersonal conflicts or prohibit customers from shopping in our stores, “Caldwell said in the email, according to the Post.
Winn-Dixie’s decision comes when major Walmart chains to Best Buy and Kroger have announced that they will require customers to wear masks in stores across the country.
Starbucks, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Apple, Qurate Retail Group and Costco are also among the growing list of major retailers to implement mask mandates nationwide amid the ongoing pandemic, as the National Retail Federation (NRF) has asked retailers to enact similar policies.
According to the Post, Winn-Dixie operates in more than 500 locations in states such as Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Of those four states, North Carolina is the only state that requires residents to wear masks in public.
Winn-Dixie’s reluctance to join other major retailers in shipping mandatory masks also comes as facial covers have become increasingly politicized amid the pandemic among state and local lawmakers in recent weeks, despite that health experts urge the public to mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak.
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