Turning up the AC in stores?

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Turning up the AC in stores?

Post by jamcool »

I’ve noticed here in Phoenix that the interior of the big box stores is not as cool as it would usually be this time of year. Normally, it is quite chilly in a Walmart or Target even when it is 110+ outdoors, now you can build up a sweat in these places. Is this being done deliberately to get shoppers in and out as quickly as possible or just to save money?
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Re: Turning up the AC in stores?

Post by storewanderer »

Maybe they have some kind of optimal temperature that they think mitigates the virus. Doesn't seem like heat makes any difference in this virus though.

Sounds like a lousy environment for the employees to be in though for their 8 hour shifts. Not to mention odor from people who end up in a store for a while and sweat a lot.
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Re: Turning up the AC in stores?

Post by Alpha8472 »

The Walmarts in the San Francisco Bay Area are still at cool temperatures. Last year it was a different story. There were many Walmart stores with sweltering conditions. It was so bad, that you felt like you were about to pass out. That was fixed, right before the Fall cold season.

Supposedly even a 10 degree temperature increase and a humidity increase can melt the virus's protective layer and stop the virus.
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Re: Turning up the AC in stores?

Post by submariner »

Please keep speculation about environmental temperatures and viruses out of the discussion. We're not here to debate healthcare.
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Re: Turning up the AC in stores?

Post by Super S »

Perhaps stores are simply taking this step due to a drop in sales.
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Re: Turning up the AC in stores?

Post by BillyGr »

NY has required larger areas (like malls) to have specific filters before they can reopen, with the reason being that prevents spreading things around.

So stores might be doing the same in other areas by just running the systems less (thus less circulation of the air).
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Re: Turning up the AC in stores?

Post by buckguy »

Most likely a confluence of things---systems, esp. older ones that are taxed by temperatures at the top of their range and chains looking for nickel and dime economies at a time of lower volume/profits.

If heat killed the virus then we wouldn't be having spikes throughout the sunbelt right now. If stores were cutting a/c for this reason, we'd be experiencing it in places like DC (hot/humid summer---the a/c is for the humidity as much as anything), but we're not. And that might rule out the nickel and dime hypothesis as well.
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Re: Turning up the AC in stores?

Post by arizonaguy »

I've noticed that wearing a mask makes things feel warmer as well.

I know I want to spend as little time in a store as possible with a mask on.
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Re: Turning up the AC in stores?

Post by storewanderer »

In my area, up until this week, the evenings have been cooler than typical for this time of year. I wonder if also it is possible some stores adjusted their air conditioning to account for that.
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Re: Turning up the AC in stores?

Post by mbz321 »

Just typical retailers being cheap. Nothing to see here.
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