Erik Rosenstrauch, the CEO of retail marketing agency Fuel Partnerships, said that it’s “responsible” for stores to publicly disclose when an employee has tested positive.
Fuel, which is based out of Boca Raton, represents brands such as 7-UP, Splenda, Vicks, Green Giant and Purell and has “experience and deep contacts” within retailers such as Walmart, Publix and Target.
He touted his local Publix’s decision to release to the media that an employee had recently been infected.
“I just think that’s the right way that retailers need to act,” he said. “You need to be transparent at a time like this. You don’t want to be seen as someone who’s trying to skirt the issue or avoid responsibility … (Retailers) have to be a responsible neighbor … and that is both protecting the employees and the shoppers who go in.”
He said that stores should let the customer “make the decision” regarding if they feel safe going into a particular location.
“I think the last thing you want to do is go into a store and hear through the grapevine that that store had a COVID case,” he said.
For Fort Myers resident and retiree Rick Struble, knowledge of which stores have had an employee test positive “might influence where I shop.”
“If I know an employee was tested positive in that store, how many other coworkers did he mingle with?” he asked. “It would seem to me that you have an increased chance of coming in contact with … the virus because of that one person.”