Lowe's (LOW 0.32%) continues to increase safety measures at its home improvement centers during the coronavirus pandemic, most recently developing an app for employees to monitor customer foot traffic in the stores.
To better comply with local social distancing and customer entry limits, Lowe's employees using a handheld device can now use the app to track the flow of customers in the store and limit entry inside.
Image source: Lowe's.
Maintaining a safe distance
Rival Home Depot (HD 0.76%) has been limiting the number of customers it permits into its DIY centers and Walmart (WMT 0.05%) just announced it will reduce the number of people allowed in based upon the size of its stores. The new rules will only permit five customers per 1,000 square feet, or about 20% of a store's capacity.
Lowe's is also adding "social distancing ambassadors" to help maintain proper distancing between customers at checkout, both at the front end of the store and in its garden centers.
President and CEO Marvin Ellison said in a statement, "We are continually working on ways to protect and support our associates and our customers during this time when we are all adjusting how we work and live."
The new app will let store managers monitor foot traffic and limit entrance to their stores based on guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and state and local governments.
The home improvement retailer recently announced it was raising the pay of its hourly employees by $2 per hour after two workers tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Workers will also be issued masks and gloves to wear and it has installed Plexiglas shields at all checkout registers.
