Lakeland-based grocery giant Publix announced that it has removed one-way aisle signage from some of the chain’s locations because local ordinances no longer require it.
As of now, only Publix stores not under local ordinance will be affected, says the company, who reiterated that many safety measures will still be in place (like masks and plexiglass barriers).
News of the decision came over the weekend, and Publix defended the move by arguing that one-way aisles are no longer necessary because “we've adopted it into our routines.”
Hi Tim. We implemented one-way aisles initially to help our customers understand and practice social distancing and over time, we've adopted it into our routines. •Allison
— PublixHelps (@PublixHelps) August 30, 2020
The one-way aisles were first introduced at Publix back in April, and the company actually began rolling back some of its pandemic-related health standards last May, when stores returned to normal shopping hours.
Earlier this month, Publix announced that it made an extra $2.5 billion during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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This article appears in Aug 27 – Sep 2, 2020.