MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. -- A few petitions are circulating online requesting Harris Teeter to enforce North Carolina’s mask mandate in its stores.

The supermarket chain will not turn shoppers away if they decline to use a face covering. Beth Clements worked at a Matthews Harris Teeter for over five years. The part-time cashier took a leave of absence when the pandemic started in March.

“It was important to us to protect our granddaughter and the [senior living community] residents at my daughter’s work,” Clements said.

Clements thought she would return to work, but ended up resigning instead after learning the supermarket chain will not require shoppers to wear masks.

“With Harris Teeter not mandating the mask policy their cashiers, all their employees and other customers at risk and I don’t want to be there for that,” Clements said.

Clements recognizes other employees may not be able to leave their job. Therefore, she wants to ensure they are safe.

"If my talking to you makes one person put on a mask to protect my old co-workers, then it's worth it to speak out," Clements said.

Recently, some Harris Teeter employees started online petitions asking the company to enforce the North Carolina mask mandate.

“It doesn’t surprise me an employee would start a petition like that. They want to feel protected. They want to feel they're safe,” Clements said.

According to Harris Teeter, the safety of shoppers and associated has been its number one priority since the beginning of COVID-19. Their associates have been wearing face coverings since April 21.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to comply with the face covering requirement without placing our valued associates in difficult situations. We ask our shoppers to follow the requirements and to be kind to our associates.”

A Harris Teeter spokeswoman explained store management will approach shoppers who are not wearing masks. They will be offered a free, disposable mask.

“If the individual declines, we must remember and understand that there are many exceptions outlined in the order, and our associates are not authorized nor qualified to ask an individual to present proof that they qualify for an exception,” the statement reads.

Harris Teeter shopper Gina Navarrete said she doesn’t plan to return to the store until they switch their policy. She has contacted management, corporate and has encouraged her friends to do the same.

“Technically they are saying, we are going to uphold the mandate but we can’t make people wear a mask. Those two statements don’t go together,” Navarrette said.

On Tuesday, Spectrum News 1 visited three Harris Teeter stores in the Charlotte area. The majority of shoppers were wearing masks. However, a woman who claimed she forgot her mask at home told Spectrum News 1 store employees didn’t speak to her about wearing a face covering.

The biggest concern for both Navarrette and Clements is the safety of Harris Teeter’s employees.

“This pandemic has not gone anywhere. Those people are still irreplaceable and we need to protect them,” Clements said.

The governor’s mask mandate states citations will be given to businesses that fail to enforce the face covering requirement.

Police can enforce trespassing laws if a patron declining to wear a mask at a business refuses to leave. 

According to guidance from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, businesses are in compliance with the state's mandate by posting signage in English and Spanish stating face coverings are required. Officials recommend having an employee at the entrance of the business monitoring both capacity restrictions and offering face coverings. However, this is not required to be in compliance. ​

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