Walmart and Fred Meyer have joined the list of national retailers that will require customers to wear masks inside of its stores. Walmart announced on Wednesday that their mandatory-mask policy, a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic, will begin July 20 at more than 5,000 Walmart and Sam’s Club locations. Fred Meyer, as part of the Kroger chain of stores, will implement their own mandatory mask policy on July 22.
In a Thursday phone call to Walmart on the Kenai Spur Highway, they did confirm that the mask restriction has not started yet, but that it is on the way. That message is consistent with the company’s July 20 directive, but the Kenai location was unable to confirm that date for their location at the time of this publication.
Although Alaska does not have a statewide face mask mandate, Walmart noted on Wednesday that 65% of their stores are already located in areas where there is a mandatory government face mask mandate. They claim that the aim of this policy is solely prioritizing the health and safety of customers and employees.
Another change shoppers may notice on the Kenai Peninsula, as reported by KSRM News earlier this week, is Fred Meyer adopting a policy that is free of coin-change. Walmart told KSRM News that they have made their own changes, going cash-free at self-service checkouts, but were quick to note that cash can still be used at their primary checkout lanes. This is all subject to change.