Should stores ban kids during coronavirus pandemic? A home improvement chain just did
A home improvement store chain with hundreds of stores in the Midwest is banning kids from entering its buildings.
Menards announced children under age 16 and pets won’t be allowed inside stores due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to its website. Shoppers who appear to be under the age limit will be required to show their driver’s license.
Service dogs are exempt from the rules.
“Thank you for keeping us all safe!” the website says.
Menards has more than 300 stores across the central region of the country, including Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio. Its headquarters are in Wisconsin.
It’s not the only place barring children from stores.
In North Carolina, two towns are restricting kids from entering stores. Officials in Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro announced this week that only one person from a family is allowed to shop in stores, and children should stay behind, McClatchy News reported.
Earlier this week Costco and Home Depot announced new social distancing policies, though neither includes restricting children, McClatchy reported. Among the new rules, Costco will only allow two people per membership inside the store, and Home Depot is reducing hours and restricting the number of the total number of people in stores, though it didn’t specify the limit.
On Thursday, Lowe’s also announced that store managers will be equipped with an app to monitor foot traffic in stores and “limit entrance based on CDC and local guidelines.” The company also didn’t specify a limit.
Meanwhile, Menards is under criticism for other actions during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Wednesday, the Michigan attorney general sent Menards a cease-and-desist letter, accusing the company of contradicting statewide coronavirus orders for a second time. It accused the company of marketing sales to drive shoppers to the store for non-emergency products.
“We have been the low-price leader for years,” Menards spokesman Jeff Abbott told MLive in statement. “This is how we built our business. Everybody runs a bad play once in a while. We have reminded everyone on our team that being the low-price leader is, has been and always will be our goal.”
In mid-March, the attorney general accused Menards of price-gouging face masks and bleach. The company apologized for the practice, but the matter is still under investigation, officials said.
This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Should stores ban kids during coronavirus pandemic? A home improvement chain just did."