REI, Macy's, Ulta Beauty, and Gap are reopening stores. Here's how your shopping experience will change.

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  • Nordstrom, Best Buy, Macy's, Gap, and others are reopening stores after weeks of closures.
  • The companies planning to reopen shared details on the changes shoppers should expect, such as fitting-room closures and quarantines of returned goods.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
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Retailers are reopening stores after weeks of closures because of widespread shelter-at-home orders amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Nordstrom, Best Buy, Macy's, Gap, and Kohl's are among the companies that are planning to start welcoming back shoppers.

But as shoppers return to stores, they will notice many changes. 

Nordstrom and Macy's, for example, will close some fitting rooms and temporarily quarantine items that have been tried on before returning them to the sales floor. Gap is planning to close fitting rooms altogether.

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Here's what to expect at each retailer as stores reopen: 

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Nordstrom

Nordstrom Rack13
Bethany Biron/Business Insider

Nordstrom said earlier this month that it's preparing to open its stores in phases and laid out a number of changes that shoppers could expect when they visit. 

In reopened stores, Nordstrom plans to:

  • Limit the number of customers in stores at any given time. Employees will be stationed at store entrances to count customers and offer guidance.
  • Close some fittings rooms and clean those that remain open after each use.
  • Hold clothing that has been tried on or returned for a "period of time" before returning it to the sales floor.
  • Increase cleaning and sanitizing, especially around high-traffic areas, like checkout counters.
  • Add plexiglass partitions — also known as sneeze guards — to checkout areas.
  • Shift to contactless payment options. In other words, customers must pay with cards and not cash.
  • Add drive-thru order pickup and dedicated parking spaces for returns.
  • Suspend services like alterations; beauty makeovers; skin-care and specialized services like brow shaping and fittings for prostheses and bras; and dining-in services at restaurants. ATMs and water fountains will also be closed.
  • Shift from in-person styling appointments to virtual consultations.
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JCPenney

JCPenney
Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

JCPenney reopened 500 stores by early June, with plans to reopen another 230 stores by June 12. 

The company said it would make the following changes in reopened stores:

  • Require employees to wear personal protective equipment. (JCPenney said it plans to provide masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer).
  • Stagger shift schedules to minimize employee contact.
  • Add sneeze guards at registers and post signage to encourage social distancing.
  • Increase cleanings in high-touch areas.
  • Offer contactless checkout in stores, as well as contact-free curbside pickup.
  • Reduce store hours to: Monday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Designate shopping hours for at-risk customers at all stores on Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to noon.
  • Extend its return policy and time window for using customer rewards.
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Macy's

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Bethany Biron/Business Insider

Macy's reopened 68 stores this week and plans to reopen most of its 775 of its stores by mid-June, the company said in a recent presentation.

The states where Macy's stores have already reopened include Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Tennessee.

In reopened stores, Macy's plans to: 

  • Place hand-sanitizer stations in high-traffic areas, including entrances, escalators, elevators, and cash registers.
  • Install plexiglass shields at registers.
  • Close some fitting rooms and frequently sanitize those that remain open.
  • Hold items that have been tried on or returned for 24 hours before returning them to the sales floor.
  • Implement "no-touch" beauty consultations and bar customers from handling testers. Test products may be used with single-use disposable applicators. 
  • Suspend "spalike" services, alterations, bra fittings, and ear piercings.
  • Increase the frequency of cleanings in high-traffic areas, including fitting rooms, bathrooms, and break rooms.
  • Require customers to use hand sanitizer before trying on jewelry.
  • Post signs reminding customers and employees about social distancing and safe hygiene practices.
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Best Buy

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In this Nov. 23, 2013, file photo, shoppers enter a Best Buy in New York. Associated Press/Bebeto Matthews

Best Buy said it planned to reopen stores gradually in May. 

Customers will be able to make appointments for in-store consultations at about 200 US Best Buy stores. The company will also offer curbside pickup at its stores.

Here's how the appointment system works: 

  • Customers can schedule an appointment online, over the phone, on the Best Buy app, or through the live-chat function.
  • Before they arrive, customers will receive confirmation and reminders about their visit.
  • A Best Buy employee will call shoppers ahead of time to go over safety measures and discuss what they might be looking for at the store.
  • At the time of the appointment, shoppers should go to the store entrance, where a host will check them in and introduce them to the sales associate who will be helping them.
  • The associate will shop with the customer, following navigation and safety guidelines provided by signs and stickers on the floor.
  • If a customer wants to demo a product, the worker will wipe the product down with disinfectant, let the customer handle it, and then wipe it down again afterward.
  • When making a purchase, the customer will be taken to the front register, where there will be sneeze guards. The credit-card machine and screen will be wiped down after each use.
  • A Best Buy employee will escort customers outside the store when they have completed their purchase.
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Gap

People pass by the GAP clothing retail store in Manhattan, New York, U.S., August 15, 2016. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
People pass by the GAP clothing retail store in Manhattan, New York Reuters

Gap said Wednesday it planned to reopen up to 800 of its Gap, Old Navy, Athleta, Banana Republic, Janie and Jack, and Intermix stores before the end of May.

In the reopened stores, Gap will:

  • Implement new cleaning routines and install hand-sanitizer stations at front doors and cash wraps.
  • Close fitting rooms temporarily.
  • Install plexiglass guards at registers.
  • Post signage reminding customers to follow social-distancing guidelines.
  • Reduce store hours and actively monitor "the flow of customers in stores."
  • Temporarily close restrooms and quarantine returns for 24 hours before returning them to the sales floor​.
  • Supply employees with face masks and encourage customers to wear face coverings while shopping.
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Kohl's

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Business Insider/Jessica Tyler

Kohl's reopened stores in 14 states by May 11, and by early June, reopened more than 90% of its stores. 

The company said it would make the following changes: 

  • Close fitting rooms and ban the use of beauty testers.
  • Shift operating hours to 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
  • Place signage and floor decals to encourage social distancing.
  • Close additional entrances so stores will operate with a single point of entry.
  • Assign an employee to the front of the store to greet customers, sanitize carts between each use, and limit occupancy.
  • Require Kohl's employees to wear masks and gloves while in the store. 
  • Remove in-aisle fixtures to increase space for customers.
  • Install protective barriers at registers and offer touchless payment options through Kohl's Pay on the Kohl's App.
  • Clean checkout lanes after each customer transaction.
  • Make hand sanitizer available at each register and throughout the store for customers.
  • Dedicate shopping hours every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.for at-risk people including seniors, pregnant women, and people with underlying health conditions.
  • Require Kohl's employees to participate in mandatory wellness and temperature checks before their shifts.
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Ulta Beauty

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Business Insider/Jessica Tyler

Ulta Beauty said it's planning to open 180 stores starting May 11. 

In reopened stores, the retailer plans to: 

  • Require face coverings for employees and request that customers wear them, as well. 
  • Ban the use of product testers. Ulta will keep open products on display only to showcase colors.
  • Place signage and floor decals in stores to encourage social distancing, install protective barriers at registers, provide options for contactless payment, and limit store occupancy. 
  • Hair services will be available in select stores by appointment only. "Safety measures for salon services include required face coverings for guests and associates, gloves for associates, increased laundering of capes and aprons, staggered stations to support social distancing, and added sanitization processes," the company said.
  • Regularly clean and disinfect public spaces throughout the day and install hand sanitizer stations for customers.
  • Require employees to participate in wellness checks before the start of shifts.
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REI

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Specialty Outdoor Retailer REI announces Black Friday closure at 143 stores nationwide with unveiling at Seattle flagship store as part of #OptOutside initiative on October 27, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Suzi Pratt/Getty Images for REI) Suzi Pratt/Getty

REI said in May that it plans to reopen more than half of its stores for curbside service, and will also begin admitting customers in some stores. 

REI plans to make the following changes in reopened stores:

  • Require employees to wear face coverings and ask customers to wear them as well. Stores will provide face masks and gloves to both employees and customers.
  • Limit the number of people allowed in a store at a given time. 
  • Introduce socially distancing queuing at store entrances, cash registers, and shop counters. 
  • Install plexiglass shields at registers. 
  • Close fitting rooms and drinking fountains. 
  • Frequently clean high-touch surface areas. 

The company also said custom fitting services for backpacks, shoes, and bicycles will "look very different than they have in the past."

 

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American Eagle Outfitters

American Eagle
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Image

American Eagle Outfitters has opened 207 American Eagle and Aerie stores in states including Texas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia.

The company said it planned to make the following changes in reopened stores: 

  • Implement a new store layout that allows for social distancing.
  • Add curbside pickup to all stores and a "touchless" return process.
  • Use a line-queuing app to manage customer capacity in stores.
  • Add a welcome station at store entrances offering masks and hand sanitizer to customers.
  • Administer health checks and temperature screenings for employees and provide them with customized masks and photo name badges.
  • Upgrade cleaning protocols.
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