UPDATED 3/18/20 10:07 A.M.
If you've been to the grocery stores in the last week you've seen shelves completely cleared of toilet paper, paper towels, and various items to begin self quarantining. Some stores have even begun to restrict the number of packages of toilet paper customers can purchase at a time. While shopping over the weekend I was instructed by a rep at Publix to watch my cart as people were stealing items from unattended carts. Pure madness.
According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Publix Super Markets Inc., Walmart and Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. are all shortening hours in hopes of limiting the spread and keeping stores clean and restocking shelves.
"This change will give our associates the time they need to appropriately restock our stores, and ensure our stores are able to conduct additional sanitation procedures in service of providing a shopping experience our customers can always count on," Winn-Dixie told the publication.
Winn-Dixie is now closing at 9 p.m., Publix is closing at 8 p.m., while Walmart's 24-hour locations will now be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
According to Tampa Bay Times, Aldi and Trader Joe’s began limited daily hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
"To better serve our customers, give our store teams time to conduct additional preventive sanitation and restock product on our shelves, beginning Saturday, March 14 we will adjust store and pharmacy hours companywide to close at 8 p.m. nightly until further notice," Publix said in a statement.
For those who are still having work during this pandemic, do yourself a favor and utilize the online ordering services for you to either have groceries ready for pick-up or have them delivered.
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This article appears in Mar 12-19, 2020.