From Touchless Payments To ‘Quarantined’ Returns, The Retail Experience May Be Forever Changed

Eager shoppers will soon be able to browse their local retail stores as states continue to roll back stay-at-home orders. But instead of testing a swatch of lipsticks at a makeup counter or waiting in line to try on summer shorts, customers should expect “virtual try-on tools,” styling via app, shuttered fitting rooms, and returns that are quarantined for 72 hours. Apple is the latest company to reopen stores, requiring face coverings for staff and customers, temperature checks at the door, conducting “health questions” to screen anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, and deep cleanings throughout the day. “A store opening in no way means that we won’t take the preventative step of closing it again should local conditions warrant,” Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail and people, wrote in a blog post Sunday. Read more at NBC News.