yah, it's a much more cluttered and crowded experience. The demographics who shop there too are lower class and bring with them less attuned social dynamics and courtesies and other subtle etiquettes that are desired when out in public. People who are oblivious to blocking things, looking past you while they cross your path and cut you off with a shopping cart, being loud or verbally obnoxious, at times unbathed, etc etc. A certain class of folks would rather bubble themselves from such experiences.
"less attuned social dynamics and courtesies and other subtle etiquettes that are desired when out in public" That's a lovely way of saying it.
Target does this too. It’s common in most supermarkets nowadays
they make up for it somewhat with pleasant looking pallets, those big red plastic things, vs raw rough looking wood. I get a sense Target has less downtime with this inventory layover sort of thing. Walmart can have pallets out that people are expected to pick over and shop on and which need to be restocked. Also Target just has more cushioned margins for their aisles where the footprint of a pallet has less impact in your sense of space than Walmarts where a significant percentage of the aisle is occupied by these monstrosities.