Woman Says Social Distancing Was Not Happening At North Side Grocery Store

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Complaints arose Tuesday about stores that are open for essential services, but are not enforcing social distancing and safety recommendations.

CBS 2's Tara Molina looked into those complaints and the best practices.

Federal and local health officials have now asked everyone to limit trips to the grocery store to slow the spread. When you have to go, you are asked to take safety precautions.

We found many stores are enforcing those precautions. But a woman Molina talked to on Tuesday said some aren't.

While the coronavirus stay-at-home order and other directives have forced many businesses to close, grocery stores remain open for a reason – we all need to eat.

So while you probably can't completely avoid a trip down an aisle at the store, you can exercise social distancing by standing at least 6 feet away from others, working to shop as safely as possible.

But Kelly Lee said that is not happening at one North Side grocery store.

"People were bunched up around the registers. I counted close to 50 people waiting to check out," she said. "They were using people's individual grocery bags. I think other stores have stopped allowing you to bring your own."

That is why Lee is speaking out tonight.

"I think that you want to lower the risk as much as possible whenever you have an opportunity," she said.

We checked out a number of stores ourselves and found many making an effort to keep shoppers and employees safe.

They take steps from limiting the number of people inside, to labeling check-out lines and aisles with social distancing markers.

Some even announced reminders to customers to take measures to stay safe, with employees echoing those reminders.

"I think the store sets the tone," Lee said.

Lee didn't want us to name the store she had a bad experience in on Tuesday, but Molina did reach out to them and the company who owns them to see what their policies are and what they're doing to keep employees and shoppers safe.

She had not heard back late Tuesday.

"I think what I would do different next time is if I saw a store that wasn't managing risk well, I would walk out immediately," Lee said

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has talked about the importance of social distancing in essential businesses, and the city's ability to step in with inspectors and shut them down if they aren't enforcing best practices.