Checking in: Observing use of masks, social distancing at Target

Also, let us know your observations: Are there stores and businesses doing creative, helpful things? Are there places where customer behavior hasn't caught up with the best practices? Email us at news@thetimesnews.com or send us a message on Facebook. We will try to track down some of your observations.

Here are the guidelines Elizabeth Pattman is following for her reporting visits:

Guidelines:

• 30 minutes at each location
• Weekday or weekend noted
• Public places or businesses
• All observations are a surprise to the location

Observations:

• Masks worn
• Masks worn properly
• Social distancing practiced
• Cleaning protocols
• Posted guidelines, signage, floor decals marking six-foot separation and signage recommending or requiring the use of masks

Burlington Target

On Thursday, Aug. 6, Pattman walked around Target for 30 minutes, from 11:31 a.m. to 12:02 p.m.

Here’s what she found:

It was quiet in the store Thursday morning, but there was a steady flow of customers through each of the departments. For a store that typically sees long lines and, at times, big crowds, just before lunch seems to be a good time to shop.

Queues that once wrapped around the building have died down and signs listing sold-out products have disappeared from the entryway windows, only to be replaced by signage noting the face mask requirements, new cleaning procedures and brightly colored "We're hiring" signs.

A large sign just inside the double door entry reminds customers to social distance and advertises special hours for at-risk shoppers: Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 to 9 a.m.

Customers are asked to go cashless when possible and assured that high-touch surfaces at checkout are cleaned after every transaction. That last part wasn't true Thursday morning.

While each register was stocked with hand sanitizer for customers and cleaning solution and paper towels for employees, they weren't used after each transaction. In the self-checkout lanes, no cleaning was observed in the half-hour Pattman spent in the store.

Conflicting signage could explain the discrepancy as another sign at the store's entry said high-touch surfaces would be cleaned every 30 minutes.

A young, masked employee stood by the entryway spraying down carts, including handles and child seats, then wiping them with a microfiber cloth. Cart wipes were also available at the end of the self-checkout lanes and clean carts were separated for easy access as shoppers enter the store.

Cleaning of the hand baskets, however, was not observed Thursday morning.

Floor markings are scattered throughout the store, marking 6 feet of separation with either red X's or footprints. Markings are posted at all registers, the pharmacy, the self-checkout lane and along the store's main walkways where lines build up. Markings were also placed in the "dollar spot" where cheaper items often gather crowds at the front of the store.

To a young boy shopping with his mother Thursday, the X's seemed like a treasure map.

"Where do the X's lead us?" he wondered aloud.

"It shows us where to stand," his mom explained.

An intercom announcement played every 15 minutes or so also reminds customers to social distance and advertises contactless shopping methods for patrons who don't want to wear a mask.

Employees

All employees observed Thursday morning were wearing face masks, though not all of them were worn correctly.

An employee at an empty check lane was seen with her mask pulled below her nose talking with a coworker. When a customer entered the lane, she did not fix her mask while ringing up his items. Another employee, this time at the customer service desk, had her mask pulled down below her chin. A third employee also had his mask pulled blow his nose while stocking shelves in the grocery department.

No mask enforcement was observed Thursday morning.

Most employees kept their distance from customers, separated by clear shields at each register, though one employee in the self-checkout lanes leaned close towards customers as she helped fix technical errors.

Customers

The vast majority of shoppers in the store Thursday morning abided by the mask and social distancing rules, with few exceptions.

A mother and her two daughters skipped masks entirely, for example, and several young children in the store were seen without masks or carrying them around instead of wearing them.

Five adult shoppers were also seen not wearing masks properly. One woman had her mask pulled below her chin while she talked on her cell phone while another meandered through the grocery aisles with her mask dangling from one ear.

While customers kept their distance near the checkout lanes, the removal of one-way aisle markers that were once in place meant customers passed close by one another on multiple occasions or stopped next to one another to look at products on the same shelf.

Do you know where we should check in next? Email us at news@thetimesnews.com or send us a message on Facebook. We will try to track down some of your observations.

This article originally appeared on Times-News: Checking in: Observing use of masks, social distancing at Target