Kohl’s set to reopen in 10 states, but your shopping experience will look different

Kohl’s plans to reopen stores in 10 states on Monday, according to a Thursday news release.

The company said it opened stores in Arkansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah earlier this week.

In March, Kohl’s closed all of its roughly 1,100 stores due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, USA Today reported.

On Monday, all Kohl’s stores in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana and Texas are set to reopen along with some stores in Florida and Tennessee.

“We are pleased to begin welcoming our customers back to Kohl’s,” CEO Michelle Gass said in the release. “We are taking an informed, measured approach based on a number of factors to reopen our stores on a phased timeline, with about twenty-five percent of our stores open by next week.”

To protect the health and safety of shoppers and employees, Kohl’s said it will implement a number of precautionary measures.

What are the new rules for Kohl’s shoppers and employees?

Stores will have reduced hours of operation — 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. — with special shopping hours dedicated to high-risk customers from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the release said.

Kohl’s will also place social distancing decals throughout the store to help shoppers maintain a distance of 6 feet from others, especially in high traffic areas including checkout and customer service, according to the company.

The retailer will also install protective barriers at checkout stands and offer no-contact payment options, the release said.

Employees will be checked for fevers before their shifts and participate in mandatory wellness checks, the release said. They’ll also be given gloves and masks to wear while working.

Kohl’s said it would also reduce the number of employees in the store and change where they are located to promote social distancing, according to the release. The retailer also plans to set up “sanitation stations” to give employees easy access to cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer.

This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 7:55 AM with the headline "Kohl’s set to reopen in 10 states, but your shopping experience will look different."