Walmart may cut hours at stores open overnight and limit sales of high-demand items amid the coronavirus outbreak
- Walmart posted a memo Tuesday outlining its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
- The company said it's looking for new ways to sanitize shopping carts and has given store managers the power to limit sales quantities of high-demand products.
- Walmart is diverting some deliveries of high-demand items, such as cleaning supplies, to areas of the country that need them most.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Walmart is looking for new ways to sanitize shopping carts and considering cutting hours at stores open overnight to allow for extra cleaning, the company said Tuesday in a memo outlining its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The company said it is also giving store managers the power to enforce purchase limits on items that are in high demand, such as cleaning supplies and toilet paper. Kroger and Target have also recently started limiting some purchases.
"We are working to replenish those items quickly, including diverting products to areas of the country where they are needed most and routing deliveries directly to stores," Walmart said.
The company said it's also keeping an eye out for price gouging on high-demand products.
"Online, we are taking a firm stance related to the potential for price gouging by third-party sellers," the company said. "Violations of our Seller Pricing Policy and Seller Prohibited Items Policy will not be tolerated and will be resolved quickly. If you see this happening, report your concern here."
Earlier Tuesday, Walmart announced a new emergency leave policy for employees, which would waive the company's attendance policy through the end of April.
Under the new policy, all Walmart employees who contract the coronavirus will receive up to two weeks of pay. After two weeks, both full-time and part-time hourly associates who are still unable to work are eligible for up to 26 weeks in pay.
The new policy was announced after Walmart and Target employees expressed fears in interviews with Business Insider over missing work when sick due to strict attendance policies.
