The state’s two major grocery store chains are adjusting their hours in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Boone-based Fareway stores spokesperson, Emily Toribio, says starting today, stores will be open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. She says the first hour of business will be reserved for those who are 65 and older, expectant mothers, those with a pre-existing condition that makes them more susceptible to illness. Fareway stores are not open on Sundays.
Toribio says the employees will be busy during the time the stores are closed.
“The reason for the adjustment in the time is to allow our stores to continue to clean and sanitize and increase those measures during the closure period. As well as restock the shelves so we can continue to serve our customers,” Toribio says.
West Des Moines-based Hy-Vee stores spokesperson Christina Gayman says they are also adjusting hours beginning today. ”
All Hy-Vee grocery stores will close at 8 p.m. and then until further notice, our new store hours will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week,” Gayman says. “These shortened hours are just going to allow our employees additional time to clean, sanitize all areas of the stores, and restock the highest demand items — and it will also allow those employees to have more time to care for their own families and loved ones.”
Gayman says the Hy-Vee convenience store hours will stay the same. “No changes there. Customers can continue to purchase snacks, fuel, other items,” according to Gayman. “The one exception I would say — if a convenience store has a dining area in it — some of them do, some of them don’t. Those dining areas are closed.”
There are pictures all over social media of store shelves where toilet paper and other items that are empty. Gayman says that’s not because there is a shortage.
“No, we are not experiencing any supply issues. I can tell you that obviously like other retailers –we are seeing some of those more in-demand items going a little more quickly every day. So, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, water, hand soap, but we are continuing to get deliveries every day, if not almost daily at our stores.”
Toribio at Fareway says they don’t have a supply issue either — but are seeing the same thing with certain items. “We are working really hard with our suppliers to make sure that we keep our shelves as stocked as possible. And we just ask that customers be patient with us as we work through some of those things,” Toribio says.
Gayman says she hasn’t seen the hoarding type purchases of these items like this before. “You know I really haven’t and I have talked to a few other Hy-Vee employees who would say winter storms are typically when you would influx of customers grabbing items such as these,” Gayman says. “But no, we haven’t seen anything like this — I don’t think anyone has.”
Toribio at Fareway agrees. “We usually get an increase in traffic right before some sort of big weather event — but yeah — this is kind of a new, unprecedented time,” Toribio says.
Hy-Vee operates more than 265 retail stores across eight Midwestern states. Fareway operates 122 grocery store locations in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
