Grocery Store Safety: Which Chains Are Doing It Best? | Eater

"Emergency leave guidelines provide up to 14 days of paid sick leave for employees diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed under quarantine; beyond that, workers may use accrued PTO or short-term disability. The company moved from a modest initial response (a $25 gift card) to larger one-time bonuses ($300 full-time/$150 part-time), implemented a $2/hour hazard pay that expired in mid-May, and then issued staggered “thank you” bonuses (e.g., $400/$200). Safety measures include plexiglass shields, distancing floor decals, temperature checks, and required masks for employees while customer mask use is encouraged. Experiences vary widely: some stores report strict cleaning schedules and adequate PPE, while others struggle to maintain cleaning during large deliveries and have unreliable temperature scans; the company also faced backlash after mistakenly requesting repayment of an overpaid emergency amount and reversed course. A longtime employee at a Denver location was among the tragic COVID-19 fatalities that drew attention to store-level risk and notification gaps." - Rachel Sugar