In some areas of the U.S. the local governments are stopping big box stores from selling non-essential items. So in these areas, stores that have been allowed to stay open, such as Costco, Walmart, and Target because they sell things like groceries, won’t be allowed to sell non-essential items such as toys, games, etc. This is to accomplish two things: to prevent shoppers from spending unnecessary time browsing the store, and also to make it fairer to other stores that sell mostly nonessential items and have been forced to close during this time. Under Vermont’s new regulation, the retailers must “cease in-person sales” of “arts and crafts, beauty, carpet and flooring, home and garden, jewelry, paint, photo services, sports equipment, and toys.” In Michigan state, any big-box store that is over 50,000 square feet is required to rope off its carpet or flooring, furniture, and paint departments along with its garden centers and plant nurseries. Some shoppers have welcomed the restrictions while others are criticizing local governments and the stores themselves for not allowing them to shop freely. There is also confusion about what actually makes an item “non-essential.” One woman tweeted, “Why ban non essential items when a person is already in that store. They are killing the businesses and the economy. If the store is closed completely that’s different but to say I can’t buy something when I’m in the store is bull. It’s time to fight back.”
(Yahoo)