"It's the Wild, Wild West."
Repost: When store workers are forced to turn sheriff

Across the United States, store workers are having to help enforce the rules designed to keep their workplaces operating through the coronavirus pandemic -- occasionally with violent results.

"It's chaos out there," said Marc Perrone, international president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. "It's the Wild, Wild West."

Now, more and more states are reopening their economies after weeks of shutdowns, with new safety protocols in place. But just exactly who has the authority to enforce those measures is often unclear -- meaning the onus of ensuring that stores stay safe from defiant customers is increasingly falling on these already vulnerable frontline workers.

A spokesperson for Sam's Club, which is owned by Walmart, said that the company has implemented changes that allow employees to use emergency leave if they feel uncomfortable coming to work. Other changes include requiring associates to wear masks and installing social distancing floor decals.

"Maintaining customer and associate safety remains our top priority," the spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. "We encourage customers to be especially mindful of one another during this unprecedented time and adhere to recommendations that we all use face coverings while in public spaces."

Managers have had to step in

Asked for comment, Giant Food said that in addition to the safety procedures the company has already implemented, it was reviewing daily feedback from associates, customers and union partners on how to make its stores as safe as possible for workers and shoppers.

"Giant's first priority is the protection and safety of our associates and our customers," a spokesperson for Giant Food said in a statement to CNN. "Should a customer get unruly than an associate should either notify the store security or call the police."

Some feel like their hands are tied

Many retailers across the county are advising employees not to push back if customers aren't complying with safety measures, out of concerns that doing so could cause conflict.

Jason Brewer, executive vice president of communications and state affairs for the Retail Industry Leaders Association, said stores should contact law enforcement when customers are verbally or physically harassing employees.

"We don't think any employee should put themselves in a dangerous situation by confronting a belligerent customer," he said.

But even when workers aren't engaging with defiant customers, tensions remain.

A Whole Foods spokesperson told CNN that masks have been required for store workers since April 13. The stores also request that customers put them on. Additionally, the company has installed plexiglass barriers at registers and offers face shields for team members who want them.

"As we continue to prioritize the health and safety of our Team Members and customers, in addition to requiring everyone working in our stores to wear face masks, we are now requesting that all customers wear masks while shopping in our stores," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Retailers and employees are doing their best to navigate a tough situation, Brewer added. To help reduce risky confrontations, he said elected officials need to signal to the public that threatening or intimidating workers is unacceptable.

"Retailers want nothing more than to welcome customers back into our stores and see our economy opened up," he said. "But safety has to come first or we'll end up at square one. And nobody wants that."

This is the new normal

Though retailers and workers never signed up to play the role of coronavirus safety sheriff, the reality is that it's now essential to keeping their doors open.

Every state in the country is on a path to reopening, meaning that stores that weren't already operating through the pandemic will have to figure out how to keep their businesses open while preventing the spread of Covid-19 infection.

And as more and more people appear desperate to return to how things were before, workers will have to play a role in reminding them that some things will have to change. This is the new normal. cnn.com