Several large chains reserve special shopping times for seniors
[This story will be updated as we learn of other stores adding senior hours.]
After the Centers for Disease Control and state governors recommended seniors and anyone with underlying medical conditions employ social distancing and stay home unless otherwise necessary, I received many emails from seniors asking how they could then get the groceries or other supplies they needed. Certainly, there are grocery stores which deliver, as does Amazon, but this can be daunting for those not comfortable entering their credit card information online, much less teaching themselves how to use the online ordering systems.
However, some stores--most notably Target starting now--are offering special hours for the medically vulnerable. Every Wednesday, beginning March 18, Target's more than 1,800 stores nationally will open one hour early and reserve the first hour of shopping each Wednesday at stores nationwide for vulnerable guests," the company said, adding it is "encouraging other guests to plan their shopping trips around this timeframe." (To view Target's hours for your local store, visit Target.com).
Additional stores offering special time for seniors in North Carolina to shop include:
- Walmart
Starting March 24 through April 28, Walmart stores will devote one hour prior to the store opening each Tuesday to senior shoppers (60 and older). Pharmacies and Vision Centers will also be open during this time. Current new Walmart hours are 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. nationwide, so seniors would shop at 6 a.m. - Whole Foods
Whole Foods is setting aside the hour before they open each day to senior shoppers (ages 60 and up) in all stores in the U.S. and Canada. Check with your closest Whole Foods to see when they open. - Fresh Market
Fresh Market is devoting the first shopping hour each day to seniors “and other individuals most at risk (those with chronic health conditions such as heart disease or diabetes).” The new store hours are (as of March 19) 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., so the store is asking those who are not in those categories to wait until 9 a.m. to shop. - Dollar General stores across the country is strongly suggesting the first hour it is open for senior shoppers everyday.
It is important to understand in this era of panic and stockpiling, that the supply chain "remains intact and has been ramping up to meet the unprecedented stockpiling brought on by the coronavirus pandemic." (as reported in multiple recent sources, including the New York Times).
