Stop & Shop will operate on reduced hours and offer special shopping times for customers 60 and older as the coronavirus continues to spread in the U.S.
Starting Thursday, March 19, Stop & Shop stores will offer special shopping hours for older customers, who are at higher risk for severe cases of COVID-19. Stores will be open from 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.
There will also be a designated entrance for this shopping period marked at local stores.
Stop & Shop said they will not be asking for ID as people enter the store, but they ask shoppers to respect the early opening. The company says they will ask customers who are clearly younger than 60 years old to leave.
The nationwide chain also announced Monday they are adjusting their hours for the rest of the public to 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. to give employees more time to unload deliveries and stock shelves. Their home delivery service is also available, though they warned there may be delays with service due to the demand.
There are at least 10 Stop & Shop locations throughout the New York Metropolitan area. Click here to see the list of locations.
Target said in a statement that on Wednesdays, its stores would reserve the first hour after they've opened for vulnerable customers, like senior citizens and people with underlying health issues.
Dollar General is also dedicating the first hour of its store for seniors. Other stores could soon follow in their footsteps.
As health officials encourage the public to practice social distancing to slow the spread of the coronavirus, grocery stores have been slammed with people panic buying and stockpiling essentials in case they have to go into 2-week quarantine.
