Supermarket company Meijer announced it is adjusting store hours and adding dedicating shopping hours for customers vulnerable to the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.
The Michigan-based grocery chain said the change in hours will allow staff to deep clean and restock shelves. While dedicating shopping hours for senior citizens and those with underlying health conditions will allow those customers to shop without fear of contracting the CCP virus. Meijer stores and pharmacies will also provide dedicated shopping times for essential service workers and its own staff.
NTD refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.
“These are unprecedented times that require appropriate action to ensure we are supporting the communities where our customers and team members work and live,” said Meijer president and CEO Rick Keyes in a press release. “Our adjusted store hours will ensure all of our customers have access to the products they need in the cleanest shopping environment possible.”
The changes will apply to the chains’ 242 stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. Hours at its 200 gas stations will not change and will remain open 24 hours for pay-at-the-pump sales.
The company’s stores will now close at 10 p.m. and reopen the next morning at 8 a.m. The same goes for Meijer Express convenience store locations.
Dedicated shopping hours for senior citizens and customers with chronic health conditions will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Shopping times for essential service workers, including all medical workers, first responders, and law enforcement, and Meijers’s own staff will be on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.
“As we continue to evaluate the store hours that will best serve all our customers, it’s more important than ever for us to work together for the greater good of our communities,” Keyes added. “All of us at Meijer are proud to serve our customers, and we will continue to work through these challenging times together.”
Last week Meijer also closed its deli salad bars and meat counters and changed to serving hygienically sealed prepacked food products, WZZM13 reported.
The company also announced on Facebook it will donate $4 million to United Way agencies across the Midwest “to support their urgent and vital efforts to address the many ways the coronavirus (COVID-19) is impacting our communities.”
