Retailers Struggle to Find Masks and Gloves
Prices are up and supplies are limited for employees.
Apr 23, 2020 | 3 min read
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Retailers and restaurants that are open during the pandemic have struggled to secure masks and gloves to protect their employees on the job, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Shoppers and employees insist that companies provide workers with the tools they need—masks and gloves—to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19, and more government officials are urging mask-wearing in public. But many retail operators are struggling to find nonmedical masks in the quantities they need. Even large companies with global supply chains are challenged in the hunt for protective gear.
Cincinnati-based Kroger began distributing cloth and paper masks to workers in some parts of the country earlier this month after losing a bid for a batch of masks to the Italian government, said Rodney McMullen, CEO, Kroger.
Last week, Kroger and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union asked officials to declare grocery workers first responders during the pandemic, a label that could give them priority access to protective gear. Albertsons, which operates Vons, Safeway and other groceries, supports such a designation, but no state has deemed grocery workers as full first responders to date, according to the union.
Walgreens Boots Alliance tapped dozens of suppliers, an unusually high number, to get masks for its workers, said a company spokesperson. Publix Super Markets, the Southeast grocery chain, has notified employees that it might not be able to distribute masks and gloves indefinitely.
Today, simple paper masks worn with elastic straps, which were 15 cents each a year ago, are selling for 30 cents to $1 each, Foster Finley, global co-head of the transportation and infrastructure practice at AlixPartners LLP, told the Journal.
Masks—both sophisticated medical-grade and homemade—have become the icon of the U.S. pandemic. Large manufacturers such as 3M Co. have stepped up production of N95 masks, while smaller manufacturers are producing cloth masks. Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that everyone cover their faces when in public places, which could help prevent people who don’t know they are infected from spreading the virus.
Many companies, including Walmart, Amazon, Walgreens and CVS, now mandate that workers wear masks during shifts. “We’re confident we have enough of an incoming supply, but it’s something we have to continually work at,” said a CVS spokesperson.
Hy-Vee Inc., a Midwest grocer with 80,000 employees, was lucky. Several vendors approached Hy-Vee offering to sell masks, and the company ordered more than 200,000 reusable cloth masks, a company spokesperson told the Journal.
McDonald’s needs 900,000 masks a day to keep its crews protected, the company said earlier this week. After a global search, the chain located 100 million nonmedical masks and is working on getting them to U.S. restaurants.
NACS has compiled resources to help the convenience retail community navigate the COVID-19 crisis. For news updates and guidance, visit our coronavirus resources page.
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