As controversial as mandates are, this will be very helpful for retailers and most shoppers. There’s nothing more important than the health and safety of frontline workers and customers. Retailers have an obligation to ensure everyone has a safe working/shopping environment, but applying internal protocols have proven to be problematic as some customers act out or become belligerent, taking their scorn out on retail workers. A Federal mandate should relieve some of the pressure on retailers, and redirect it to the Federal government where the responsibility should have always been – not with retailers.

The plan is very light on detail, which is why many business groups have asked for clarity over points like implementation dates, applicability to remote workers and so forth. They are right to do so: the government should thoroughly think through actions before announcing them so that companies can plan properly. This is especially applicable for retail as we start to enter the busy holiday season.

As a consumer, I would be more comfortable shopping in a store where I know everyone who works there is vaccinated – if there was no one else in the store with us. And that’s the rub: Who knows about the other shoppers?

Look, I desperately want the pandemic to be over. I want my family to have the best defense available against COVID-19 that’s possible, that’s why we are all vaccinated and wear masks indoors when in public places, hoping it will help. But do I think we can force people to get vaccinated against their will? I am torn on that because this is America after all, and here we have the freedom of choice.

Until this all gets sorted out I think retail workers are in for more of the same disrespect that is being leveled at them from too many customers. It’s been over 18 months, surely we should have figured it out by now.

It’s good for everybody. Just like all the other vaccinations we take without so much as a bat of the eye.

Our society cannot get back to normal until vaccination is the norm. Once that is the case, consumers can return to stores as normal and we can all start living again. I’d love to enter a store without a mask — maybe someday I can!

COVID-19 and the emerging variants remain a global public health crisis whose first victim has been people and whose second victim has been our economy. In particular, retail and how today’s consumer is shopping has transformed at every step. In fact, the consumer has transformed, period.

Ensuring that store personnel are vaccinated is essential, and providing a high level of comfort for the in-store shopper remains a priority. Some shoppers look for masks on staff and other shoppers, and most continue to observe social distancing. But to really get consumers back in-store, especially as we move into the holiday season, a retailer has to offer consumers a mix of digital first choices. Curbside pickup, BOPIS, virtual queuing, QR codes, mobile vending, scan, pay and go and virtual assistants are advances to protect shoppers and they provide control and comfort.

As a father of a nine-year-old that is not eligible for the vaccine, I would feel more comfortable shopping in stores where all associates are vaccinated, as would most consumers.

Gonna keep it short and sweet. In a word, yes.

It gets retailers out of the middle of what has become a really stupid debate

The majority of U.S. consumers have grown weary of the anti-vax hype and simply want to move forward whatever way it takes. Recent polls have shown the majority of Americans are strongly in favor of a national vaccination requirement. All businesses should do their part to break the COVID-19 spread as well as the risk of variants. Because of their high interaction with customers, it falls to retailers to lead the way. And giving employees every assurance possible that they will be safe, including a vaccine mandate, might actually help retailers with their ability to attract, hire and retain employees.

As DeAnn mentioned, retail is one of the few industries that brings people together in close proximity to others – so the industry needs to take on more responsibility to ensure it doesn’t play a role in the spread of the virus. Retail employees have been the heroes during the pandemic, ensuring people get essential supplies during the lockdown. Retailers will need to continue to treat them as saviors who continue to shoulder great responsibilities to keep the people safe.

At this point, the issue is so polarizing I’m not sure you’re going to change anyone’s mind. That said, I expect that most customers will feel more comfortable in a store where they know that all the employees are vaccinated. I haven’t heard anyone, but the most extreme conspiracy folks suggest that vaccinated people are somehow dangerous. Implementation? that’s going to be another story. There is so much energy in some political circles these days to stop mandates, motivated by an idea that a vaccines somehow are a “victory” for the their political opponents, that in some places compelling compliance will be an issue.

This is a touchy subject. There are those that are for and against the mandate. But consider this. The government mandate takes the pressure off of the retailer enforcing the rule.

Assuming the details of the plan are relevant and operational, this is a step in the right direction to protect both employees and customers. We know consumers are more worried about the Delta variant than they were the original strain. Any positive action to alleviate these concerns will be good for retail. As usual, the devil is in the details. However if the details are correct the results should be positive.

Will most consumers be more comfortable or less shopping in stores where they know all associates are vaccinated? There is no down side here! The other option is customers gambling on visiting stores where they don’t know if the staff is vaccinated or not. I think most people will be pleased at a positive response here. And most store employees would feel the same about their customers.

Since there are so many people willing to take the horse de-wormer Ivermectin to combat Covid, it makes me believe that most people realize that Covid is not a hoax. Vaccines have been mandated since George Washington imposed a mandate for small pox vaccine. People who don’t want to take the vaccine have a myriad of reasons. Most of those reasons are based on how they feel about the impact on them, without taking into account others around them. I don’t think I every heard an anti-vaxxer say something like “I’m not going to get vaccinated because I care about the health of others.” I’m definitely in support of vaccine mandates because I believe that ultimately vaccines will make everyone safer. President Biden’s announcement is based on the notion of taking care of everyone’s health, not just those that get vaccinated. I agree with all those who have written about feeling more comfortable and safer in a retail environment where I know the staff has been vaccinated or tested (recently). But when I think about… Read more »

No doubt consumers will feel safer shopping in stores and malls with these mandates in effect. The science is quite clear — the way out of this pandemic is through vaccines. That means the 80 million people not getting vaccinated need to be vaccinated if everyone wants to return to stores without worrying about masks, social distancing, or becoming ill. There are quite a few thumbs down on this discussion today and that is very telling. You have to wonder if everyone clicking a thumbs down is equally opposed to all the other vaccines our children have been getting, via mandates, at younger ages than the eligible age for COVID vaccines when they entered school. And there are many such vaccines that school-age children receive every day without the fanfare and resistance we’re now seeing. We also know the government has a Supreme Court-approved ability to issue such mandates. For retailers, this action takes some of the pressure away — it’s no longer the retailer’s sole discretion to vaccinate their employees which hopefully means they’ll… Read more »

Based on the discussion, I think we should look at all the laws we have in effect in this country and begin to evaluate why we have them. Let’s start with a traffic light law that requires everyone to stop on red. If I do not like the law I still have to obey it.

Do beauticians really need to be licensed? What would happen if I wanted to open a beauty salon but did not want to get a license.

If you don’t like gun control move to Texas. They just did away with gun control. I guess some people feel a lot safer.

We don’t need dumb laws, but we do need laws and we need to enforce them.

Many thumbs down today from those who oppose the mandates, apparently, but not a lot of actual commentary from the thumbs-down contingent from what I can tell. If you have an objection, speak up!