Iceland and Co-op staff won't enforce the new face mask rules as they "have got enough to deal with".
Bosses say workers fear verbal and physical abuse if they were to police the new restrictions.
Yesterday it became compulsory by law for shoppers to wear face masks to help tackle the new Omicron variant.
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Police have the power to issue £200 fines for those who refuse to wear a mask, and could double to £400 for a second offence and £800 for a third.
Anyone who repeatedly masks wearing rules could face a maximum penalty of £6,400.
Richard Walker, managing director of frozen food chain Iceland, said they would instead be focusing on the “long-term recovering of the high street.”
Mr Walker said staff on the shop floor should not be asked to intervene when they spot someone without a mask and that Iceland staff would not be policing the policy in their stores.
He told Good Morning Britain: "When they walk in there'll be window posters asking them to put a mask on.
"The store manager may even politely ask them to as well when they come into the store if they're not wearing one.
"So, of course, we support, I support the reintroduction of compulsory face masks, but I won't be asking my store colleagues to police those who refuse to adhere to the rules because I know that, bizarrely, this is a divisive issue, and I think my store colleagues have got enough to deal with in the run-up to Christmas."
During the first lockdown, Mr Walker received more than 50 reports a week from staff members who had been verbally abused for enforcing mask wearing in shops.
The Co-op has also said that they would not be policing the issue in their stores, says Wales Online.
The British Retail Consortium said that it is up to the police to enforce the rules, adding: “Customers are asked to respect the rules and be considerate to their fellow shoppers and to hard-working shop staff.”
The new rules are part of measures to combat the new Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Face coverings are again compulsory in England in shops and settings such as banks, post offices, hairdressers, and public transport, while all travellers returning to the UK must take a PCR test and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.
All contacts of suspected Omicron cases must self-isolate, regardless of their age or vaccination status.
