You are SO right - grocery shopping (or going into any store - home improvement, etc) is one of the highest risk ways to catch this.
A lot of people don’t seem to grasp yet that this spreads simply by BREATHING or TALKING, in addition to the obvious ways (someone coughs or sneezes and doesn’t cover..or, touches something [like a stock clerk] that you then pickup). Plus, the virus hangs in the air for up to 3 hours. So, infected person (who probably doesn’t realize they are infected as many cases are asymptomatic) walks down an aisle close to you..says hello..or asks the friendly grocery clerk where something is. You’ve been exposed..
I personally think Walmart has a really good idea here and would love to see my local Kroger and Home Depot do the same.
It doesn’t help that officials were once saying this isn’t airborn. Truth is, we still don’t know if it is and to what degree. That 3 hour study finding was using a viral load well beyond that found in a person and did not specify if it was still viable. That said, the way this spreads like wildfire would suggest it is spread to some extent through breathing and talking, likely more so in close, enclosed, prolonged contact (which would explain why we’re seeing higher rates among bus drivers than stock clerks). Until the science is on the same page, it would be prudent to wear face coverings and ban cell phone yapping in stores and shopping to 1-2 people/party.