Checking in: Mask and social distancing check at Dollar General

We'll spend some time in the coming weeks observing masks worn and social distancing at various locations – both businesses and shared public spaces – and let you know what we see. We hope to better inform decisions you choose to make.

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
• Posted guidelines, signage, floor decals marking six-foot separation and signage recommending or requiring the use of masks
• Cleaning protocols

Dollar General, South Main Street, Graham

On Tuesday, Sept. 1, Pattman walked around Dollar General for just under 30 minutes, from 12:34 to 1:02 p.m.

Here’s what she found:

Foot traffic through the store was slow, even during the middle of many people's lunch hour. As we saw last week at Harris Teeter, it was also easy to forget the COVID-19 guidelines inside this Dollar General location.

Signage at the store was minimal with just one small sign on the door noting the face mask requirement. As she exited the store, Pattman observed a second larger sign that had fallen down and was not readable.

Cleaning protocols seemed nonexistent while Pattman was in store Tuesday. Carts and hand baskets were stacked by the entrance and no cleaning supplies were seen nearby. During the nearly 30 minutes spent in store, no employees were observed cleaning carts, wiping down registers or other high touch surfaces, despite a bottle of cleaner and a roll of paper towels sitting behind the counter.

Employees

While all store employees wore their masks, one was seen wearing it improperly with the mask pulled below her nose. Another employee was seen pulling the mask down toward her chin while she was looking for something behind the register.

Three delivery vendors that were in store Tuesday, however, did not have masks at all.

Customers

All but one customer seen in store Tuesday were wearing their face masks and none of them were seen worn improperly.

Social distancing remained a challenge for customers, though, as it was nearly impossible to pass one another with any distance in the store's narrow aisles. On several occasions customers stopped at the end or backed out of the aisle to let another customer headed the other direction pass by.

This article originally appeared on Times-News: Checking in: Mask and social distancing check at Dollar General