Macy’s has shared its plans to reopen 68 store locations across Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee where state governments have “loosened social distancing restrictions.” Notably, beauty consultations will be no-touch.
According to an article on www.cnn.com, the 68 locations will reopen on a limited basis on Monday, May 4, 2020, with hours of operation between 11 am and 7 pm. Fifty additional stores will reportedly open on May 11, 2020, as part of a phased approach to reopening.
The article also stated that Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette “expects that all 775 Macy’s stores will be back up and running six weeks from now—as long as coronavirus infection rates continue to dwindle and state and local governments permit stores to reopen.”
This announcement comes just days after a www.bloomberg.com article reported that Coface SA and Euler Hermes Group SAS, two of the largest providers of credit insurance for vendors, have stopped writing policies covering Macy’s. The loss of credit insurance, the article stated, could complicate the ability of retailers to bounce back after the economic shutdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to CNN, preemptive measures that Macy’s will enforce to combat the spread of the virus include:
- Signs throughout the store instructing customers to remain six feet apart
- Macy’s will provide and hand sanitizer to employees and customers
- Customers will be required to use hand sanitizer before trying on watches and jewelry
- Plexiglass will be installed at registers
- Employees will wipe down keypads after each use
- Fewer fitting rooms will be available for use
- Elevators, display cases and fitting rooms will be cleaned more frequently
- Products left at the register and clothing items that have been tried on will be held for 24 before returning to the sales floor
