Protests force Target, CVS and Walmart to close some stores - WHSV

(AP/CNN) – U.S. retailers large and small have closed some of their stores across the country because of disruptions caused by the widespread street protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Target, CVS, Apple and Walmart all said Sunday that they had temporarily closed some locations for safety reasons. In some places, their stores have been burned, broken into or looted as protests turned violent.

Included Target stores are in Minnesota, California and New York. You can view the full list of store closures on Target’s website.

In a statement released Saturday, the Minneapolis-based company said its focus is on employee safety and “helping our community heal.”

Amazon said Sunday that it has adjusted its routes and suspended deliveries to keep its drivers safe in some cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Minneapolis. A spokeswoman, Kelly Cheeseman, said Amazon is also abiding by local curfews that have required people to remain off streets after a specified hour at night.

Small businesses, too, are surveying the damage or trying to determine how to operate amid the chaos. Ammar Aref, who owns a corner grocery store in Minneapolis blocks from where Floyd was killed, said he has stayed opened every day, but he doesn't know how much stock to order and his employees don't want to come to work. He boards up his windows every night.

CVS didn't say how many stores it closed, but it said the shuttered locations are in more than 20 states and the District of Columbia. A spokeswoman for the company said pharmacies at closed stores will reroute customers to a nearby CVS so they can get prescriptions filled.

“Employee and customer safety is our top priority, so we are continually monitoring protests as they occur in the communities we serve and will close stores, if needed, to help ensure the safety of employees and customers,” CVS said in a statement.

Target said workers impacted by the closures will still be paid “for up to 14 days of scheduled hours during store closures, including COVID-19 premium pay. They will also be able to work at other nearby Target locations.”

The company is also helping its local community. Target said it will provide essentials to people living in areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul where the protests caused the most damage.

Looters ransacked a Target in Minneapolis. An Atlanta location was also damaged by demonstrators.

George Floyd died while in police custody in Minneapolis. A former police officer has been charged in his death.

Let's block ads! (Why?)