Walmart curtails hours after coronavirus sales rush
Published 1:25 pm Sunday, March 15, 2020
- Walmart
If you are used to making your Walmart shopping trips late at night to dodge the crowds, you might have to adjust your shopping habits.
As of today, the retailer will not have any 24-hour stores. Due to the increased traffic the coronavirus pandemic has created, stores will operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. until further notice.
The company said in a statement that the down time will allow staff to restock shelves as well as clean and disinfect the facilities.
Stores that already have shorter hours, such as the Walmart Neighborhood Market stores, will maintain their regular hours.
The company has also put a COVID-19 policy in place for its hourly employees. For example, the company has waived its attendance occurrence policy through the end of April for employees who cannot make it to work, as long as they call in. In those cases, employees would have to use their regular paid time off to be paid.
If the employee’s place of work comes under a mandated quarantine, or if the employee is required to quarantine by a government agency or the company, they will receive up to two weeks of pay and absences during the time will not count against attendance.
Employees who contract a confirmed case of the virus will receive up to two weeks of pay. If they are not able to return to work after that, additional paid sick time may be provided for up to 26 weeks. That applies to both full-time and part-time hourly employees.