A gaggle of major grocery store chains will begin closing early daily or scaling back from 24-hour service in order to restock and clean stores, as the coronavirus pandemic drives panic buying.
Chains such as Publix, Giant, Harris Teeter and Wegmans are all scaling back hours, while retail titan Walmart has admitted it is evaluating whether to close 24-hour stores at night during the crisis.
Across the country, desperate scenes have played out as shoppers prepare to quarantine, whether via a period of self-isolation or possible containment measures imposed by authorities.
In Fairfield, California, police were called when fights broke out over shopping carts at a Costco, according to KNTV reporter Jodi Hernandez.
At the same store, a fight also erupted when a man took a package of toilet paper out of someone else’s cart, an employee told Hernandez.
Coronavirus-fearing masked shoppers panic buy in Miami Beach, Florida emptying shelves of toilet paper. Every roll of toilet paper was gone in Publix Superstore in South Beach and there was dwindling supplies of eggs, meat and pasta
Customers line up to check out at a Costco store on Saturday in Novato, California. Some Americans are stocking up on food, toilet paper, water and other items after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic
A customer carries a package of toilet paper at a Costco store on Saturday in Novato, California
Shoppers line up to enter a Costco warehouse store in Alexandria, Virginia on Saturday. The store was sold out of numerous items including toilet paper, paper towels and sanitizing wipes
Experts say that supply chains are robust, and there is little to no chance of a food shortage in the U.S.
But grocery stores have struggled to keep up with demand, hiring more workers and doubling deliveries as items fly off the shelves in the virus frenzy.
In response, grocery chain Publix, which has more than 1,200 stores in southern states, will begin closing two hours early, at 8pm, every day.
The Florida-based chain said it wants to give employees time to restock produce and sanitize shelves.
‘Publix will continue to focus on keeping our associates healthy — and our stores open and stocked — to serve and support all our communities,’ Todd Jones, Publix CEO, said in a statement on the chain’s website.
The Giant Company, which has nearly 200 stores across the mid-Atlantic, announced Saturday that its 24-hour locations would start closing at midnight and reopening at 6 am ET the following day.
The Pennsylvania-based chain cited the same reasons as Publix in a press release: ‘The decision comes as part of the company’s continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic and will allow store team members additional time to sanitize and restock shelves as daily deliveries arrive.’
A customer wears a protective mask as she picks up a box of diapers at a Costco store on Saturday in Novato, California
Costco customers wait in the rain to enter the store on Saturday in San Leandro, California
Hoards of shoppers rushed to stock up on toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning supplies at this Costco in Novato, California on Saturday as communities begin hunkering down as a result of coronavirus
Customers push shopping carts filled with supplies at a Costco store on Saturday in Novato, California
In the Northeast, Wegmans is also ending 24-hour service, to allow the stores to be cleaned and items to be restocked, the supermarket chain announced Friday.
‘We are changing our hours of operation to better serve our customers and communities,’ the New York-base company stated.
Except for Brooklyn, all Wegmans stores in New York will close at midnight, while its Brooklyn store will close at 11pm.
Stores in New England, New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania (excluding Erie) and North Carolina will also close at 11pm, while the store in Erie will close at midnight. The Maryland stores will close at 10pm.
Panic shopping hits Plano, Texas on Saturday as this Target limits the quantity of bottled water per customer
Shoppers lined up at this Target in Plano, Texas on Saturday as the frenzy of panic buying continues
Shoppers exit a Costco on Friday in San Leandro, California. Officials said Friday the Los Angeles Unified School District and San Diego school districts will close starting March 16 because of the coronavirus threat
This Publix in Miami Beach has placed signs inside their store saying hand soap and sanitizer items are limited to two of each item per customer. The meat, toilet paper and hand sanitizer sections were almost empty
View of empty shelves at Wegmans as patrons purchase supplies due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Alexandria, Virginia
Harris Teeter, a large supermarket chain serving the Southeast, said Saturday that it will close its stores at 9pm each night in order to focus on cleaning and replenishing, and for the health of their employees
Harris Teeter’s new hours go into effect starting Sunday night, the North Carolina-based store said.
Other major grocery chains have said they are considering cutting hours.
Walmart said on March 10 that it was ‘evaluating whether to modify store hours at some 24-hour facilities to allow for additional cleaning.’