Source: Kroger
Store associates shouldn’t have to be the mask or vaccine police
The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union welcomed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) new guidelines for mask wearing in public spaces, but says that more is needed to protect retail workers.
The union, which represents 1.3 million workers in the food and retail industry, said that all stores need to mandate that masks be worn by all shoppers and employees since current procedures have no practical way to verify if shoppers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The UFCW originally questioned the wisdom of the CDC’s guidance in May that relaxed mask requirements fearing that abuses involving unvaccinated and unmasked shoppers would put its members at risk.
The rapid spread of cases tied to the Delta variant has alarmed medical and public health professionals, particularly in areas where misinformation about the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines remains largely unchecked by scientific facts. Confirmed cases have risen substantially in recent weeks as have hospitalizations and deaths. Computer models show a continued rise in cases straight into the fall months.
Karyn Johnson-Dorsey, a personal shopper from Riverside, CA, who shops for Instacart customers as well as some private clients, told The New York Times that the end of store capacity and social distancing measures has further complicated working in stores where masks are not required.
“You have whole families who are picking out a pound of ground beef,” she told the Times. “Children who are not vaccinated because of age are touching everything, not masked, either.”
Ms. Johnson-Dorsey, who got COVID-19 last year and was vaccinated in March, should be among those least likely to be reinfected, but medical authorities point to various reasons why she and others should not be letting down their guards at this point in time.
The CDC recorded 5,914 “breakthrough” cases of COVID-19 through July 19 including 5,601 hospitalizations and 1,141 deaths. Vaccinated individuals getting the virus who suffer little or no symptoms may also spread it to others, particularly the unvaccinated, who may not be as fortunate.
Vaccine opponents often argue that those receiving shots have no reason for concern from the unvaccinated. If breakthrough cases are not enough to refute this argument, there is also the reality that the spread of the Delta and other variants may lead to further mutations that could be more highly transmissible, virulent and vaccine-resistant.
- UFCW: CDC Mask Change Not Enough to Stop COVID Delta Surge, National Mask Mandate Needed to Protect Essential Workers Still on Frontlines of Pandemic – United Food and Commercial Workers
- Workers’ Anxiety Grows as Covid Variant Casts a Shadow – The New York Times
- Hospitalized or fatal COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases reported to CDC as of July 19, 2021 – U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Do you support requirements for proof of COVID-19 vaccination from shoppers in order to shop unmasked in stores? If not, what do you think retailers need to do to protect associates from individuals who both refuse to get vaccinated and to wear face masks in publicly-shared spaces?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Bob Phibbs
President/CEO, The Retail Doctor
John Karolefski
Editor-in-Chief, CPGmatters
This is a difficult catch-22. Requiring proof of vaccination, while prudent, will cause confusion and upset some customers that front-line workers will then need to manage. We have all seen how challenging and at times dangerous this can be. Front-line staff should not be the mask police. However, the concerns about the Delta variant are very real and the store environment needs to be safe for staff and shoppers. Retailers should re-instate their COVID protocols on a market by market basis and adjust as conditions change. Every retailer will need to decide what posture they’re going to take and then implement it.
If each retailer was capable of having their own trained security on staff, then proof of vaccine to shop unmasked is reasonable. However that is not practical, thus the CDC needs to recommend a policy that isn’t ambiguous, practical, and considers the realities of the often younger and vulnerable front-line workforce that aren’t trained nor expected to be on-staff security.
Sure, I’d support it, but this ain’t China! Or even Europe. I mean, we can’t even ask Americans to wear shirts without a battle! Store associates aren’t bouncers. Best m.o. to me is to keep your staff as safe as possible (most protocols already in place) and let “freedom” ring. The whole thing is so exhausting. People can get sick if they want to, but don’t look at us weird when we won’t get near you.
Post #4 in a week? Really? If the union wants to use its voice in PR it should be they require all members to get vaccinated. This isn’t about cloth, it’s about shots. If you’re not willing to get the shot, why do the rest of us have to go backward and wear masks to try to protect those who don’t want it or acknowledge the risks?
I don’t like it any better than you do (I’ve been fully vaccinated since early March), but the reality is that the Delta Variant is more transmissible and seems to be causing more “breakthrough” cases. (And a vaccinated person with COVID turns out to be just as contagious.) I wish it weren’t so, but it is — and until vaccine resistance is overcome, this is a public health measure meant for all of us.
I am fully supportive of vaccination, but the news media is having a field day as if this were March 2020. The only way more people get vaccinated are personal stories from their own communities — from people they know. Not “some guy down at X got Covid.” And let’s be clear: there is a very big difference between testing for Covid and having Covid and being in a hospital dying from Covid. I am annoyed by the “But the theater is on fire and we’re all going to die” messaging. It is NOT March 2020. If that messaging were working we also wouldn’t be in this place.
Bob, it depends on where you live. Here in Wisconsin, the cases, hospitalizations and deaths are growing but still relatively manageable. In Jacksonville FL (my sister-in-law works at a hospital there), it’s one of the worst hot spots in the country and ICU capacity is being strained mightily. We learned the hard way in early 2020 that isolated hot spots (like New York City) eventually overran the entire country.
Let’s be honest: If you are going to blame some of the news media for being alarmist, you need to pin equal blame on other media for being dismissive of health mitigation efforts or downright anti-vaccine.
Totally agree. I would go further and blame one news source, but this is not NYC in March 2020.
Retailers must make their own choices about how they want to protect their employees and customers. The policies must be easily seen by their customers. If the policy warrants it, the employees must be properly trained on how to ask for verification and how to handle a customer who doesn’t want to comply. Front-line employees should not be put into a position of confrontation, but at a certain point must know they can go to a manager for support. This is going to stir even more controversy about what rights a person has. The store has a right to create the safest environment possible. Ideally, the two work together, but when it doesn’t everyone must know how to react.
Requiring store associates to ask to see a customer’s proof of vaccination is a bit much, but if that has to happen then for the associates safety it needs to be a job unto itself. Like a bouncer at a bar. As I type this I realize how ridiculous that sounds, but that’s where we are.
This entire situation isn’t good, worse because the state guidelines are wishy-washy. Are masks required or not? We travel to Las Vegas soon where the mask mandate is perfectly clear: wear one at all times indoors, but in my home of Illinois the guidelines are up for interpretation.
The brunt of what happens at store level falls onto front line associates. Retailers, large and small, need to do whatever it takes to protect them.
It’s now abundantly clear where voluntary action or lax masking and vaccination behaviors are taking us. All this “freedom of choice” is giving the virus the freedom it needs to do as much damage as possible. The simple lesson about vaccination and disease eradication was learned a long time ago. The new lesson appears to be how politics can override science. (I almost inserted the most grotesque pun ever.)
As usual, the new CDC guidance is too ambiguous for its own good. My nearby Kroger store is in a county with moderate transmission rates (so, no masks recommended) — while another Kroger store five miles to the south is in a “substantial” county.
It’s really up to Kroger (in this example) to reestablish clear guidelines, whether they are called recommendations or requirements. Other national retailers rushed in mid-May to drop mask mandates, and now they are scrambling for a response. Apple Stores have just taken the lead on this, and others will need to follow.
In the interest of research (and to take care of my shopping list), I just visited that nearby Kroger store — under the Metro Market banner here in Milwaukee. I’d say that no more than 20-25% of customers and associates wore masks (myself included), but the checkout associate (also masked) said that the numbers were up significantly from yesterday.
Not everybody will agree, but wearing a mask for 30 minutes in a grocery store is not the end of the world. The sky isn’t falling (compared to the days before vaccines), but it’s still a matter of self-protection in the middle of some “known unknowns.”
To be clear, Apple is requiring masks in half (emphasis on HALF) of its stores effective today. This will only be in locations that are in “COVID Hotspots” or where there is a state or local mandate. Emphasis on WHERE THERE IS A STATE OR LOCAL MANDATE.
So given there are state or local mandates in a variety of areas, Apple’s policy is not really any different than any other retailer operating in such areas.
I think the simpler thing, for now is to require employees to be vaccinated. If more businesses do that, more people will be vaccinated. Being the mask police is exhausting, especially when people turn their masks into chin diapers when you turn around.
Like many, I’ve quite had enough of vaccine hesitancy. If the state governments won’t mandate it, it’s time for businesses to take the lead.
Exactly. And I’m fine with, you want Starbucks, shop at Walmart, shop at Kroger, show us proof at the door like you have to at a sporting event.
The employer will then be liable if the employee gets sick or has other complications from the vaccine. Legal nightmare waiting to happen. The vaccine makers are not liable under the emergency use authorization. That will change once the vaccines have full FDA approval.
This is critical. But I can’t imagine a guard (or who ever) standing at the door asking for proof of vaccination and making sure their mask is on to gain entry into the store. But make no mistake, we seem to have the unfortunate opportunity to slip backwards in this pandemic, and that scares me. I do not think you can mandate staff (associates) to police the mask and/or proof-of-vaccination issues. But we are going to have to hold the line in the sand or fight this horrid nightmare for perhaps a long time.
Absolutely. This is a no brainer. Plus, require vaccinations of all store associates. The Delta variant and other yet unknown variants are serious stuff!
I read about 4 stories yesterday and all lead me to the same thing — the message is too confusing and there is a lot of room of different interpretation by retailers. It would be very difficult to ask customers to prove vaccination and probably create problems at the door. If they want people to wear masks in their stores- then they need to say it.
The UFCW has a point. If people chose — and at this point it is a very conscious decision — not to be vaccinated then how can we trust them not to lie about their vaccination status? So by relaxing the mask mandates, the federal government has put the nation on a trust-based system that isn’t warranted given the evidence. So while I strongly support proof of vaccination for the unmasked, that won’t be enough to protect store associates and other customers.
I am fully vaccinated, but early research on the Delta variant indicates I could transmit it to someone who hasn’t received the shots. Also, we are starting to see some evidence of so-called “breakthrough” COVID cases, i.e., cases among the vaccinated. The truth is we don’t know what the best answer is and this whole, “Mask On, Mask Off,” drill just raises more concerns than it addresses.
The best answer is to err on the side of extreme caution and require masks for everyone entering a store. That still doesn’t solve the problem of retail workers being confronted by angry unmasked shoppers, but that’s a different issue.
I generally agree with you Ryan. We were “as soon as we can get an appointment” anxious to get vaccinated and don’t really understand why so many others don’t. But something has been bothering me during this whole episode and I chose your comment to spit it out.
The statement that folks who make a conscious decision not to get vaccinated can be assumed to be liars is just wrong. The tendency to disparage the as yet unvaccinated extends to assuming them all to be rural, rebellious, redneck, mentally challenged and duplicitous — Republicans.
I think there are some real reasons some people have avoided the vaccines, not the least of which is the lack of full-throated FDA approval (what are they waiting for — or afraid of?) Add to that the many mixed messages of the CDC (aka Gang Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight) and you can see how that fuels folks who are generally afraid, skeptical or just plain ornery.
But insulting them won’t change their behavior. Positive messages of reinforcement, and in some cases, yes, mandates) might. So let’s stow the recalcitrant rubes rhetoric and work on sending uniformly positive encouragements. Then let nature sort out what’s left.
As much as I fight for the greater good, this is not enforceable without putting store associates in harm’s way. Armed security personnel are not going to cut it either. Unarmed security personnel may be equally helpless unless they come from a group of early-retired football players or Sumo wrestlers. My humor for the week. Employees should vaccinate and wear masks to protect themselves first and foremost.
There will be tremendous backlash if retailers try to enforce proof of vaccination. But, having been harrassed twice in one week FOR wearing a mask (in Florida) I’m all in favor of retailers requiring masks for all.
I heard of a situation yesterday where someone who didn’t want to get vaccinated actually created a fake proof of vaccination so she could see her mother in the hospital and now has given her COVID. You just can’t account for stupid. Requiring proof of vaccination could help in a lot of cases but until we get the Delta variant under control, going back to in-store mask mandates could be the only solution.
I support requirements for proof of COVID-19 vaccination from shoppers in order to shop unmasked in stores. Nervous retailers should hire security to enforce this rule. I see nothing wrong with protecting the health and safety of shoppers. France has instituted a Vaccine Passport policy and Italy will follow in August. “Nobody” in those countries can enter stores, restaurants, museums, cafes, bars, etc. without showing the passport that signifies vaccination. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Actually that is incorrect. France requires the vaccine passport to enter a “big mall” but not for a supermarket or other freestanding store.
Using the honor system for mask usage never made sense to me and didn’t work. So, what to do now? Going back to restricting the number of people in the store at any one time is one possibility. That could be done in conjunction with again requiring masks for all employees and customers. Retailers could require employees to be vaccinated. Then comes enforcement. Retailers have security for confronting shoplifters — usually that means calling on security when a problem is observed. A similar system should be used when observing mask violations. Security can not be everywhere at once, but store employees who see a mask violation can call security.
What store workers would want to put themselves in harm’s way by trying to be the “mask police?” We’ve seen what the consequences can be. Besides which, many anti-vaxxers, like teenagers wanting beer, will have fake IDs or just lie. No way around this but to have masks required everywhere. I wish it weren’t so, but the stakes here are very high for our society.
What I don’t understand is why most people in “society” are okay with government rules on required vaccines for school: “According to the National Academy for State Health Policy, five routine childhood vaccines are generally required for children attending childcare or school in all states: diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus or DTaP for childcare and schools; Haemophilus influenzae type B or Hib for childcare; measles, mumps and rubella or MMR for childcare and schools; polio for childcare and schools and varicella or chickenpox for childcare and schools.” All this has been seen as common sense by most everyone for many years.
I saw a great meme the other day that might answer your question, Warren.
What happened before we were born is normal and routine and is accepted by society as the way things should work.
What happens between the ages 5 and 35 are tremendous steps forward for society and a great source of pride for us.
What happens after we are 35 is a reckless challenge to proven science and/or societal norms and should be nipped in the bud before it destroys the world.
All the vaccinations you mentioned have been “societal norm” for 90% or more of the U.S. population. And while I am a great admirer of Thomas Paine’s “On Common Sense” — I don’t think most Americans have read it.
As Voltaire said, “Common sense is not so common.”
A couple of small points (as I carefully avoid the minefield of actually taking a position):
“Children…are touching everything” Unappealing as this might be, it was long ago established that surface-to-person transmission is minimal, so this a red herring.
“5,914 breakthrough cases” … out of ~150M vaccinated (emphasis mine)
Taken together, it’s clear to me we’re still plagued by a lack of understanding of basic factual issues … never mind actually being able to reach a consensus on what are acceptable tradeoffs. Which isn’t surprising, as people are poor at recognizing risk levels, and actually dealing with them is all too often a battle between “zero tolerance” zealots and people who readily drive into trees.
Excellent, thoughtful position Craig.
Thanks Bob, but sadly it’s a “non-position” really: getting the info right — or at least not as wrong — is the easy part. Translating that knowledge into a policy everyone can be on board with eludes me.
Surface to person transmission is minimal yet as cleaning guidelines, etc. have been made more lax, cases have started to spike up. May want to revisit if surface to person transmission is really minimal; especially with these new variants….
The pandemic is a fluid and long-term situation, so guidance has to be localized and is going to change as conditions do. Retailer can only do so much to keep stores safe — and it’s not fair for staff to be bouncers — so ensuring their associates get vaxxed, wear masks and follow in-store protocol is the best option for a sad situation.
I think proof of vaccination should be “required” — meaning that the store has a right to stop and ask. I do not think stores should re-establish mask police at the entrance.
In all this, what’s unusual is that most people I know who are vaccinated are the ones still wearing masks most often (I know I do). As always, we have a set of bad apples who refuse to be vaccinated yet want the privileges of not wearing a mask.
(That said, I know of people who are not vaccinated for medical reasons. They wear masks.)
At this point most US Stores are so understaffed, they cannot even perform basic functions let alone having employees at the door to patrol this. And yes, I said employees, because you need more than one employee to patrol this due to the risk involved with angry people.
Masks are back because the vaccine is not as effective against these new variants as hoped. And there are additional/unknown new variants coming — who knows how effective the vaccine will be against those upcoming variants.
And if you look at the case rates in vaccinated individuals in the UK, Australia, and Israel which are quite high (way higher than is being reported in the US), it is looking suspicious that the vaccinated people are actually spreading cases among each other. But the vaccinated are supposedly getting less sick/fewer symptoms than the non-vaccinated. This would explain why those vaccinated Texas politicians who went to DC gave each other COVID, and why various sports teams of vaccinated players have given each other COVID, in recent weeks. So my point here is everyone needs to be very careful. Being vaccinated is not quite the ticket to freedom it was being marketed as.
So masks are back. Social distancing, increased sanitation procedures, and capacity limits also need to come back. Some of that never should have left in the first place.
Will getting everyone vaccinated finally stop this spread? That seems to be the consensus here. But you can only hope at this point. Already sold a bag of goods being told vaccine=no mask. Now you need a mask again. But it is the fault of the unvaccinated. Plus you have kids who can’t even get vaccinated because no vaccine is approved yet. So this line going around with the mindset that if everyone was vaccinated, these new strains would not have happened — really? Stop and think here for a minute — how do you know that would be the case?
Sorry, it is the fault of an unknown virus that is behaving in an unpredictable manner. Only time will tell how this goes. With the number of curves COVID has thrown, my general conclusion is things do not go according to plan, when it comes to COVID.
But Pfizer just had an earnings call with shareholders this week. Record profits. No surprise. New push to force unvaccinated to get vaccinated. That should make for another great earnings call for them next quarter. Funny how the timing of things goes. All a coincidence I am sure.
If retailers can have requirements of “no shirt, no shoes, no service” then why can’t they also add, “no mask, no service”? It is counter productive to ask for proof of vaccine to enter stores. Then, retailers will have to pay someone to stand at the door and check (touch) proof all day long. Who is an expert in vax-proof cards? You can’t read half the writing on those cards anyway. Rather, we need to go back to the beginning: wear a mask or shop somewhere else. And, limit non-essential shoppers. An entire family of four does not need to pick out ground beef together.
This is not an easy line to tow, we saw it earlier when mask requirements were in force; some shoppers will just not comply. However, retailers must prioritize the health and safety of their employees. Further, if their shoppers all get sick and stop coming to their stores, then where would retailers be?
Retailers have to draw the line. Masks are in. Vaccinated or not. The CDC has to support this.