Why Big Chains Don’t Require Vaccines for Customers

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Retail and restaurant representatives and human resources consultants who work with businesses say it’s too risky for frontline staff to be put in a position to enforce vaccination rules for customers. Half of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and pockets of Americans remain resistant or fiercely opposed to the injection. There is also the risk that such requirements alienate customers.

Requiring customers to wear masks throughout the pandemic has led to confrontations between customers who object to wearing masks and store staff. Making vaccines mandatory would be even more difficult for companies and endanger the safety of workers, according to industry professional groups.

Instead, the big chains are taking different approaches. Mcdonalds (MCD) demands that its workers hide in high-risk areas and that customers do so too. Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT) and others require workers to wear masks, but recommend that customers do so in high-risk areas as well. Walmart, Walgreens (WBA) and Difference (GPS) require company employees to be vaccinated when trying to get people back to the office, but not frontline staff to stores. Walmart, the largest private employer in the United States, said it hopes that requiring company staff to get vaccinated will convince more retail workers to get vaccinated.

“We want to stick to the message that strongly encourages everyone to get vaccinated, but don’t want to create a situation where employees are essentially at risk of physical assault, as this happened last year,” said Larry Lynch, senior vice president of science and industry for the National Restaurant Association. “This is our greatest fear.”

David French, senior vice president of government relations at the National Retail Federation, doesn’t think vaccine mandates for customers are the “right step” for retail chains, and they would be unable to enforce such mandates. mandates.

“Store workers are not trained to be security guards,” he said. “What do you do if someone says they’re coming and isn’t going to show their immunization status?” “

No technology in place

Besides safety concerns, there are also other barriers to vaccine requirements for customers.

Most retail stores “have no experience in requiring things like ID to enter a store,” French said, and it would hurt the quality of their customer service to examine the immunization status of the people. buyers. There is no technology in place that allows retailers to easily check the vaccine status of customers nationwide, he said. And then there is the question of what would happen if people forgot their vaccination cards at home or were accompanied by children who have not yet been vaccinated.

“There are real practical issues with requiring vaccination status to enter a retail store,” he said. “This is something a lot of retailers are scratching their heads.”

Vaccine mandates for customers would also conflict with certain national and local rules, according to these industry groups. Fourteen states have banned so-called vaccine passports – digital apps that allow users to show proof of vaccination before entering events and businesses – according to the National Academy for State Health Policy, a health policy organization nonprofit that tracks this data.
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Business decisions on how to approach vaccine rules come as more companies begin to require vaccines for their workers and cities like New York force customers to eat indoors and to visit gymnasiums. Some restaurants in New York City welcome the new requirement. They hope the measure will prevent another shutdown and are seeking support from the city to help them put it in place.

But for the most part, it’s easier for companies to set job requirements for their own workforce than unfamiliar customers who come in every day, said Craig Rowley, Senior Customer Partner specializing in retail. within the executive search firm Korn Ferry.

Public attitudes on vaccine mandates for customers are sharply divided, another consideration for companies.

A Quinnipiac University survey of 1,290 adults from July 27 to August 2 found that 52% support the requirement of proof of vaccination for airline passengers, 49% support proof of vaccination for participants in major sporting and entertainment events, and only 37% support proof for restaurant patrons.

“There are differing opinions on who should be required to prove they have been vaccinated. Yes on proof of vaccination for those who fly, a raffle for people attending big events and a no for people who go to restaurants, ”Quinnipiac said. University poll analyst Tim Malloy.

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