Walmart Told to Halt In-Store Sales of Non-Essentials in Vermont

(Bloomberg) -- Shoppers in Vermont hoping to wander the aisles of their local big-box store in search of an exercise mat or a video game are out of luck.

The state on Tuesday ordered Walmart Inc. and other big-box retailers to halt the sale of “non-essential” products in their brick-and-mortar locations to reduce the potential spread of the coronavirus.

A spokesman for Vermont’s Agency of Commerce and Community Development said Tuesday’s directive was meant “to provide further clarity” to a March 24 executive order from Governor Phil Scott that said state businesses should suspend in-person business operations. The order excluded retailers “serving basic human needs” such as grocery stores and pharmacies, recommending only that they conduct business online and through curbside pickup “to the extent possible.”

The list of restricted items includes clothing, consumer electronics, books and sporting equipment, according to a statement from the agency. Such items must be removed from the sales floor or be otherwise closed off to shoppers, who can still purchase them online or via curbside pickup.

In response, a Walmart spokesman said certain areas of its six stores in the state have been closed or roped off and it has added signs informing customers of the order.

The high volume of shopper traffic at discounters like Target Corp. and Costco Wholesale Corp. “significantly increases the risk of further spread of this dangerous virus to Vermonters and the viability of Vermont’s health care system,” Lindsay Kurrle, the agency’s secretary, said in the statement.

The Vermont edict also said the garden sections of large home-improvement centers should be closed.

A spokeswoman for Target, which has only one store in Vermont, said the retailer would comply with the law and install signs that explain which items can’t be purchased locally in the store. Representatives for Costco, which also has one store in the state, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

As of April 1, Vermont has 293 cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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