Stores add shopping times for vulnerable customers

Mar 18, 2020

A number of stores are adjusting their hours during the pandemic, and some are adding times reserved for those who are more vulnerable to coronavirus.

Stop & Shop is opening early to allow those over the age of 60 to shop while the store is freshly cleaned and stocked and before the crowds arrive. A designated entrance for seniors will be open from 6 to 7:30 a.m. each day. Stop & Shop is open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. for everyone.

“We’re making the decision to offer this every day of the week to allow for community members in this age category to shop in a less crowded environment, which better enables social distancing. They’ll also be shopping prior to any other customers entering,” wrote Gordon Reid, the President of Stop & Shop.

Target is reserving the first hour of shopping on Wednesdays, from 8 to 9 a.m., for “vulnerable guests, including the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.”

The store is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, and employees are spending more time cleaning and restocking shelves.

Dollar General is “strongly encouraging” stores and customers to reserve the first hour of each day for senior customers. The stores will also be closing an hour earlier than usual for employee wellbeing and to give employees extra time to clean and restock. The store will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during this time.

Shaw’s Supermarket has reserved 7 to 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays for senior citizens and other at-risk members of the community, such as pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems. The store will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.