GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Many metro area grocery, convenience and hardware stores are limiting the number of customers allowed inside at one time.
Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen reports that the longest wait is now outside the store.
Petersen was in Gwinnett County, where people were lined up outside a Home Depot.
Customer Joe Ferrell said being smart is better than being in a hurry. On Sunday, he was in the line outside the Home Depot in Dacula.
"If this is what we've gotta do to keep from getting sick, it's exactly what I'm gonna do," Ferrell said.
The chain hardware store has put a lid on the number of customers allowed inside. On Sunday, it was 100 at a time.
Steve Chalk was also at Home Depot Sunday. He said he was careful once he got through the doors.
"If I saw an aisle where there were too many people, or it looked like I'd have to get too close, I'd get something else and come back to that," Chalk said.
Chalk said he appreciates the fact that the stores are taking serious measures to keep the buildings free of crowds.
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Some people have taken to social media to complain that certain stores are still too crowded.
A local Walmart had a full lot and is not limiting the number of customers inside, but the company is in the process of sticking signs to the floors of its checkout lanes to show customers how far 6 feet is.
In the meantime, Quicktrip set a customer limit inside their stores and some Trader Joe's and other supermarkets have done the same.
Petersen talked to a spokesperson at Home Depot, who said the company has assigned social distancing "captains" to their stores to encourage customers to spread out.
Ferrell said he was looking for lawn mower parts, and once he got them, he was gone.
“I know where these are, which bins,” Ferrell said. “And I know where this blade comes from. It’s a hit-and-run, OK?”
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