Employees at major retail outlets are growing frustrated with customers browsing stores for nonessential items during the coronavirus pandemic, telling Business Insider they do not feel protected due to additional exposure.
"It seems that the lack of entertainment options is driving people in[to] store[s] simply so they can leave the house," a Target employee in a California store wrote to BI via email.
Workers from CVS, Walmart, Costco, and Staples in California, Illinois, Texas, New York, Rhode Island, and Florida expressed similar aggravations.
"People are shopping because they're bored," a Staples employee in California told BI.
"We are the new Disneyland," a Costco employee in California said.
At least 316 million people in at least 42 states, three counties, 10 cities, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are being urged to stay at home in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. In most states, that means all non-essential businesses have stopped operating.
A CVS spokesperson told BI in a statement, their stores "are a critical resource for the communities we serve, and we'll continue to be here for customers while also enacting protocols to help ensure our stores remain a safe environment to shop and fill prescriptions."
Target told BI, it is important for team members to "feel comfortable sharing their concerns and we provide opportunities for them to do so.
"We're focused on supporting our team and recognizing the important role they're playing for families and communities across the country amid the coronavirus."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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