One California Lululemon Store Shows How Difficult It Can Be For Retail Workers In The Pandemic

Presented with a detailed list of the concerns from the half a dozen employees who spoke with BuzzFeed News, a Lululemon spokesperson provided the following statement for this story: “We adjust our operations based upon the guidelines within each state and jurisdiction, including in California. As the situation within the state continues to evolve, we will adjust every step of the way.”

Another unpredictable variable that retail employees have had to contend with are the customers who enter their stores. Lululemon employees who spoke with BuzzFeed News said they’ve had to face angry shoppers who refuse to wear masks and who downplay — or outright deny — the existence of COVID-19.

“We’ve had customers come in and say, ‘I just had COVID. It wasn’t that bad. You seem pretty healthy. I hope you actually get it and get it over with,’” the second Lululemon Grove employee said. “Customers break the 6-foot barrier constantly. I have to have the ‘Can you please put your mask over your nose?’ conversation every shift.”

California issued an order broadly requiring face masks in public on June 18, but included no guidelines as to who was responsible for enforcing the mandate, leaving individual jurisdictions and businesses to decide how they enforce the order. Some cities, such as West Hollywood and Santa Monica, have instituted fines for those caught not wearing masks in public. Though the Grove required masks two days before the state did so, Lululemon employees at that mall said they were only allowed to “kindly suggest” that guests wear masks.

According to California’s state retail guidance, face coverings are required for employees but “businesses that are open to the public should be cognizant of the exemptions to wearing face coverings” and “may not exclude any member of the public for not wearing a face covering if that person is complying with the guidance.” By comparison, New York requires that businesses must refuse entry if a customer is not wearing a mask, so long as the refusal is not discriminatory.

Lululemon has created a “director of first impressions” role, essentially an outdoor greeter designed to remind guests to socially distance and wear masks before they enter the store, but employees said that until recently they were not allowed to deny service to customers who refused to wear masks or were hostile toward staff. “My store is in an area that is predominantly conservative, white, very pro-cop, anti-BLM, ‘this virus isn’t real’ mentality,” said the Lululemon employee at the second Southern California outdoor mall. “It’s not possible to keep 6 feet of distance because you get these aggressive people; they just don’t listen. You can’t ask them to leave. We don’t feel supported.”

According to Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, mask requirements are the number one issue retailers must address if they choose to remain open during the pandemic. The burden of enforcing mask-wearing should not fall on hourly employees, he said, but rather on managers or security personnel.

“The biggest thing is that people need to be wearing masks and someone needs to be enforcing it other than the worker,” Appelbaum said. “I think that it’s a terrible mistake for stores not to be enforcing that policy. Otherwise they are not creating a safe environment from their customers. If you say you require masks and do nothing to enforce it, then it’s not being required.”

Lululemon employees in California have also pressed the company to close fitting rooms, which are enclosed spaces in which many customers remove their clothes, shoes, and masks, and which must then be cleaned by an employee after every use. The company closed its fitting rooms at locations including the Grove and the Americana, another outdoor mall in Los Angeles County, for two weeks, but they have since been reopened.