Installations will begin at stores in areas hardest hit by the pandemic and expand to include all US stores. Installations will be complete in all stores in the next two weeks, said 7-Eleven.
Each store will receive two of the transparent plastic barriers and card PIN units will be placed on the customer-facing side of the plexiglass sneeze guards. The retailer has also enhanced its standards and procedures for hygiene, handwashing, sanitation, food handling, and preparation in stores and increased the frequency of cleaning high-touch surfaces.
"We are doing everything we can to keep stores open and stocked with the products local communities need, while also keeping customers safe. These new sneeze guards provide additional protection for customers, store associates and Franchisees," said 7-Eleven president and CEO Joe DePinto.
"We are monitoring the changing situation and CDC recommendations and will continue to prioritize the health of our customers, store associates and Franchisees across America."
For consumers at home who do not wish to leave their homes, 7-Eleven has ramped up home delivery with its 7NOW delivery app offering free delivery to more than 35 million households across 400 cities.
Earlier this week, Walmart announced a similar measure of installing plexiglass barriers at Walmart and Sam’s Club registers over the next two weeks. Walmart also shared that it is implementing a new way to sanitize shopping carts: using handheld chemical sprayer kits to sanitize the whole cart.