Why Did El Paso Officials Try To Take Credit For Walmart Counting Customers?
The City of El Paso has been making some moves lately that have people wondering what is going on. First there was the "we're not going to follow or enforce the County Judge's shutdown order" two weeks ago. Instead of working together to try and figure out how best to slow down activity in town while not wiping out businesses financially, the City decided to throw the County Judge under the bus and said that they were worried about the financial health of the city when, if you go by social media, most people were wishing they would have joined the County Judge in his shutdown order.
Then, earlier this week, a City press release seemed to imply that negotiations between City officials and Walmart resulted in the big box store reinstating their "counting customer" protocol to help keep their stores at 20% capacity. There might have been negotiations between the City and Walmart, but Walmart officials announced this past weekend that they were going to go back to counting customers at their stores nationwide.
I get it. The Mayor and City officials are facing a massive budget hole because of COVID-19 and it is only getting bigger the longer this pandemic stretches on, but why not just say, we've been talking with Walmart about counting customers and they announced that it will be done nationally? Why make it seem like this was a City initiative? It's very politic-y and not a good look for City officials. Don't take credit unless credit is due. Is keeping customer capacity low at big box stores, the very places that seem to be the biggest problem with community spread in El Paso, a good thing? Yes, it is. But taking credit when credit isn't due just makes the City look silly.
Good move Walmart. City officials, you should Google before you take a bow.