Fresh Market asks customers not to bring guns into stores

The Fresh Market this week joined a handful of other grocers in asking its customers not to bring guns or other weapons into its stores.

The Greesnboro, North Carolina-based chain issued a statement saying it wants to “ensure a welcoming environment where our customers and employees feel safe, and treat one another with kindness and respect while shopping and working,” The Associated Press reported.

The grocer said it had engaged in discussions about the policy with a group of activists called Moms Demand Action, who gathered nearly 4,000 signatures across North Carolina to support the “gun sense policy.”

“This was not a decision that was taken lightly nor in response to pressure from any outside group,” a spokeswoman told the Charlotte Observer.

“After examining the issue from many different angles, we feel that this is a balanced policy that is in keeping with our brand and our desire to maintain a safe, comfortable and welcoming atmosphere in our stores, while still respecting the rights of all our customers,” the spokeswoman said.

The Fresh Market joins a handful of other grocery stores including Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s that have asked customers not to bring firearms into its stores.

Moms Demand Action has also asked Matthews-based Harris Teeter to implement gun bans in its stores. It delivered petitions to Harris Teeter last year.

The activist group also persuaded Starbucks, Target, Chipotle, Sonic, Chili’s and Jack in the Box to impose similar gun policies.