Macy’s, Nordstrom to close over the coronavirus. You can still order online

Multiple department stores — Macy’s, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s — will close their doors to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

What’s going on:

• Macy’s said on Tuesday that it will close beginning at the end of the business day on Tuesday. Bloomingdale’s will close until March 31.
• Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s will leave their online stores open.
• Jeff Gennette, Macy’s Inc. chairman and CEO, said: “The health and safety of our customers, colleagues and communities is our utmost priority. As a result of the recent COVID-19 developments, we have decided to temporarily close our stores. We will work with government and health officials to assess when we will reopen our stores and safely bring our colleagues back to work.”
• Nordstrom announced Tuesday that the stores will close for two weeks.
• Nordstrom said in a statement: “The situation is changing rapidly, and to do our part in slowing the spread of the virus, we have decided to temporarily close all our stores. The two-week closure will go into effect on Tuesday, March 17. This decision includes all our U.S. and Canada stores.”

Other stores close down:

• Apple announced it will close all of its stores outside of China indefinitely to deal with the spread of the coronavirus, according to The Verge.
• Sephora, Ulta and Benefit will close their stores, too, because of the COVID-19 spread.
• According to CNBC, “Closed stores will suspend many of the retailers’ typical sales techniques: Tester stations, one-on-one beauty advice and complimentary makeovers. And the retailers will have to overcome potential changes in customers’ habits, as people cut back on social gatherings and work from home.”