Stores set aside hours for COVID-19 high-risk shoppers
March 18, 2020
A growing number of businesses are offering shopping hours that are limited to those who are considered high risk for contracting COVID-19. This page will be updated frequently as news changes, so check back often. If your business has updates, email [email protected].
Hy-Vee
A reserved shopping hour has been set aside for all grocery stores in the company’s eight-state footprint. From 7 to 8 a.m. daily, shopping is designated for those 60 and older, expectant mothers and anyone with a underlying health condition that makes them susceptible to serious illness.
Pharmacies in most Hy-Vee locations will open earlier so that they can serve customers at that time, the company said in a statement.
“We are extremely concerned about the spread of this virus, and want to respond to our customers who are at higher risk of serious illness by offering them a time where they may feel a bit safer shopping in our stores,” said Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee’s chairman, CEO and president.
On Tuesday, Hy-Vee announced that it was implementing new store hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily to give employees time to clean and restock stores.
Walmart
Walmart is changing its hours to 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Stores that open later than 7 a.m. will continue their regular starting hours.
From March 24 through April 28, Walmart stores will host an hour-long senior shopping event every Tuesday for customers aged 60 and older. This will start one hour before the store opens. Pharmacies and vision centers will also be open during this time.
Walmart said it plans to limit items including paper products, milk, eggs, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, water, diapers, wipes, formula and baby food.
Walmart said it is temporarily closing its automotive centers. Vision centers will be open for essential services, like picking up existing orders.
Target
The first hour of shopping each day, from 7 to 8 a.m., is reserved for vulnerable guests, including the elderly and those with underlying health concerns, according to a statement from the company.
The closing time also has been changed to 9 p.m. to give employees time to clean and restock the store.
Fareway
The Iowa-based grocery store chain has set aside shopping in its stores from 8 to 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday for those 65 or older, expectant mothers and those with increased susceptibility to serious illness. General store hours have been changed until further notice to 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. There are two stores in Sioux Falls and locations in Tea and Harrisburg.
Dollar General
The company, which has four stores in Sioux Falls and others in the area, is “strongly encouraging that the first hour of operations each day be dedicated solely for the shopping needs of senior customers, who are one of the groups most vulnerable.”
That hour is from 8 to 9 a.m. Dollar General also has changed its closing time to one hour earlier to give employees time to clean and restock. That’s 8 or 9 p.m. depending on the location.
