Shoppers surveyed last month said they expected most stores to be open by midsummer from the COVID-19 outbreak and expect employees to be looking out for their safety as long as the virus remains a health threat, the National Retail Federation reports.
The majority of 1,517 shoppers said they were gradually becoming more comfortable with shopping but thought it might take to July before most were completely comfortable with the idea.
Most said that during the height of the pandemic, they bought online to pick up later in the store, used a contactless payment method or used a delivery service to make purchases more than once.
Those surveyed ranked employees wearing masks, social distancing and frequent sanitizing, in that order, as the safety priorities they expect from retailers as they return to shopping outside their homes.
