After arguing it was essential amid pandemic, Nebraska Furniture Mart will now close
Nebraska Furniture Mart will close all four of its retail stores in an effort to help slow the spread of the cornoavirus pandemic, the company announced on Tuesday
Just a day earlier, the Omaha-based chain had defended its decision to stay open, arguing it provided essential goods customers need during the global health crisis. The Star Tuesday morning published a story online outlining criticism from employees and customers who feared the company was threatening the public’s health by keeping its massive store open in Kansas City, Kansas.
“Like everyone around the world, our team has monitored this situation very closely as it has developed over the past few weeks,” company president Tony Boldt said in a news release Tuesday evening. “We have been in communication with our local public health departments and followed their recommendations on how to best serve our community’s needs while prioritizing the health and safety of our staff and customers.”
The chain will continue to service online and telephone orders, the news release said, though showrooms in Kansas City, Des Moines, Omaha and Dallas will close beginning at 7 p.m. Friday.
As of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, residents of Kansas City and surrounding counties were ordered to remain at home except for activities “essential to the health and safety” of themselves, family members or friends. But local government leaders said Nebraska Furniture Mart was exempted from that order because the store provides supplies that help individuals work from home.
Employees, though, said the company was putting themselves and customers at risk of exposure to the coronavirus by keeping the doors of Kansas City area’s largest retail store open.
The company has also temporarily discontinued in-home delivery of furniture and flooring products in Kansas City, according to its website. Customers can still pick up orders at the drive-through of the Kansas City, Kansas, store or have items delivered to their home driveways.
As the store starts to wind down, its massive sales force is prepared to be off work. But the company says those whose shifts are interrupted by the pandemic will continue to be paid through April 24. Those who rely solely on commission will be paid over the next two weeks based on their compensation rates before sales started declining earlier this month, employees told The Star.
“This situation evolves every day, sometimes by the hour and we will continue to monitor developments,” Boldt said in the news release. “We will continue to adjust our response as necessary. The health and safety of our staff, our customers and our community will always be our number one priority.”
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 7:00 PM.
