Some shoppers don't care to follow the rules. In Colony Publix, I very calmly and respectfully said to an elderly gentleman that he was going in the wrong direction and pointed to the large round circle on the floor that said WRONG WAY X DO NOT ENTER. He waved his hand at me as if to dismiss what I had just said to him. He continued on walking..........in the wrong direction.

Do you stop at stop signs when driving? How about yielding at a yield sign? Just wondering.

I will abide by the one way aisles as long as it is necessary to mitigate this virus but I most certainly do not want this to be a new normal.

As for the floor markings being easy to miss......I don't think so. Publix has replaced the thin blue painter's tape with big circles that catch the eye very easily, IMHO. Seems other stores are on board with the big bold signs also.

I don't consider it a "line". I'm not "in line" as I walk through the aisles of a store. I don't mind people stopping and pondering or reading labels. I just hold my breath and pass them. I'm "in line" at the check out and will wait my turn as I always have.

Just wondering
 

How can you conflate the two? If you run stop signs you have a wreck and people may die. Why don't you explain how one way lanes enhance social distancing when it may require you to take a much longer route to purchase an item. In the process you may travel down a different aisle unnecessarily in which you will probably pass by even more shoppers.

I hope this is not a new normal......a temporary normal is what I can deal with.

I really don't have any personal feelings about it being safer. I haven't been "out" since March 4th.

I just have great respect for how Publix have always managed their business and I am appalled at all the folks who are marching over their "freedoms" being taken away. These are unusual times and it calls for unusual and temporary rules in place.. Some people are born, and will die with...."You ain't gonna tell me nuthin'" attitude....and I will go on record as saying, I don't like those kinds of people.

I know. Right? I'm noticing lots of new posters with less than 20 posts. Where are all these people coming from? Out of the woodwork?

One way aisles are no different than one way arrows painted on the roads in the parking lot. I think it is a great idea and I wish they would keep it that way. It makes perfect sense to me. I found that it makes the aisles much less congested.

Those people you don't like
 

are not in general rejecting a temporary deprivation of their Constitutional rights. They simply expect a rational justification for maintaining a chokehold on the economy as they are losing their jobs and homes or seeing their life savings wiped out. This is especially true in areas that have been spared the worst of the disease spreading.

Better to be skeptical of our leaders than to act like obsequious sheep.

Passing them at a safe distance would not have been possible, if someone was coming toward you from the other end of the aisle. Hence, the one-way aisles.

It's called risk reduction and best practices. You can't eliminate all risk. But you absolutely can reduce it. This is one method of reducing risk.

I think it's stupid to have to completely stop at a red light even though it's obvious no one is approaching from any other direction at the intersection. And yet - I come to a complete stop. Even if I have the "right on red." The traffic light exists to protect me, and every other driver, and pedestrian, on the road. At 2 in the morning when there's no one else around for a mile, it seems stupid to have it. But there it is. And I'll abide by it, however frustrating it might be.

Difficulty
 

Sadly, I'm afraid there is no "one size fits all" solution when it comes to shopping. Some folks only need a few items and may not know in which aisle and on which shelf where they may be. Others need many things spread through out the store. Without an encyclopedic knowledge of the store and stock, shopping is often more time consuming than it might be. I agree with those who don't like the one way aisle system since it makes the hunt for what you need take far more time than it ordinarily would and increasing exposure time.
Having said that, I, for one, will be wearing my mask and doing my imperfect best to follow the recommendations.

So the better choice would’ve been to follow the train of others in front of me? I guess the air they exhaled would magically dissipate while I followed them up and down each aisle?

No thanks. Get your stuff, minimize the amount of time inside the store, then get out.

Previous to this change, I had mentioned to my spouse that the stores with narrow aisles should make them one way. The other day, I went into Publix for the first time since this pandemic and did not even notice the signs until someone mentioned it to me, that I was going the wrong way. I have to admit that the person that mentioned it to me was a bit snooty, but I still thanked her for bringing it to my attention. I was glad to see the change and feel they ought to keep it that way, since the space is too limited to barely get two carts pass each other. The only signs I noticed were on the floor and I was more intent on getting my shopping done and out of there than to even notice the signs on the floor.
Walmart has narrow aisles also, here in the Villages. It makes one wonder why the store would have it so narrow when they have so many seniors using those electric carts. Leesburg has wide aisles with plenty of room to easily maneuver carts when shopping. Too bad the Walmart in the Villages doesn't consider the constant bumping of the carts and bodies. And yes, some seniors do not operate vehicles as adeptly as younger folks. Everybody becomes that way eventually, unless you don't live long enough.

I do not consider a person making a mistake to be an idiot or careless. But, I do believe folks that throw stones due to their own misery, to be boorish. Hopefully, someone is not speaking of you as you are speaking of others.