Shoppers at one of Cheltenham’s Aldi branches have noticed something strikingly different in store.
Checkout staff behind the Perspex screens are now also wearing face coverings.
Only last weekend, staff at the Aldi branch in Tewksbury Road were not all wearing face coverings behind the safety screens, brought in last year to protect employees and customers from coronavirus.
But this Saturday, checkout operators were telling customers that the policy for staff has changed.
One checkout operator said: “We had needed to wear face coverings on the shop floor before, but now we also need to wear one on checkouts.”
All staff in the store on Saturday afternoon were wearing masks on the checkouts, which all have security screens in place.
Last week, Aldi staff were sent a Colleague Face Coverings memo which said: “Face coverings should be worn in all areas of the Store at all times, unless you are sitting at a till or eating or drinking in the welfare area.”
We have contacted Aldi to see if the policy has been changed for all of its stores.
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The move comes after there was renewed attention on the wearing of face coverings in supermarkets, with supermarkets now insisting that all customers wear one – unless they are medically exempt.
There is also more of a focus on limiting people in store, with people urged to shop on their own wherever possible and not to go out in family groups.
Aldi stores continue to have a traffic light system on entry and to have social distancing markings on the shop floor.
Customers are also encouraged to pay by contactless methods rather than use cash.
