Best Buy will open 200 stores to customers who make an appointment. Here's how it'll work.

• Best Buy is planning on welcoming shoppers back to 200 US stores starting in early May.
• However, shoppers will have to have an appointment to go inside.
• Here's how the appointments will go.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Best Buy has revealed a detailed plan to reopen stores gradually.

Starting in early May, customers will be able to make appointments for in-store consultations at about 200 US Best Buy stores.

Here's how it'll work:

• Customers can schedule an appointment online, over the phone, on the Best Buy app, or through the live chat function.
• Before they come in, they'll receive confirmation of and reminders about their visit.
• A Best Buy employee will call shoppers ahead of time to go over safety measures and discuss what they might be looking for at the store.
• At the time of the appointment, shoppers should go to the store entrance, where a host will check them in and introduce them to the sales associate who will be helping them.
• The associate will shop with the customer, following navigation and safety guidelines provided by signs and stickers on the floor.
• If a customer wants to demo a product, the worker will wipe the product down with disinfectant, let the customer handle it, and then wipe it down again afterward.
• When making a purchase, the customer will be taken to the front register, where there will be sneeze guards. The credit-card machine and screen will be wiped down after each use.
• A Best Buy employee will escort customers outside of the store when they have completed their purchase.

All workers will be required to wear masks and gloves, which Best Buy is providing. They will also be required to participate in self-health checks through an employee app developed by the retailer. Best Buy's press release about the plan added that signs outlining proper social distancing will be placed in stores and that surfaces will be sanitized before and after each appointment.

Appointment-only shopping could be a path forward for nonessential retailers looking to get business going after closing locations amid the coronavirus pandemic. Several furniture stores are planning to open under a similar model in certain states, as is Chico's FAS, the operator of Chico's, Chico's Off the Rack, White House Black Market, White House Black Market Outlet, and Soma.

Best Buy had transitioned to a curbside- and delivery-only model on March 22 and also ended in-home delivery, installation, and repairs at that time. It announced on Tuesday that it would resume in-home services in certain areas and posted a video about how it would perform installations and repairs while following CDC guidance.

The electronics retailer said on April 15 that it would be furloughing about 51,000 US store workers and that CEO Corie Barry would take a 50% cut to her base salary.

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