These Whatcom grocery stores are offering social distancing hours for senior shoppers
These Whatcom County businesses are offering special hours or services for older people in response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s call for social distancing to try to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
▪ Fred Meyer added its special hour for at-risk groups on Monday, March 23. The hour is 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., Monday through Thursday.
▪ The Bellingham Costco is offering special hours just for seniors, according to an employee at the store. For this week, they will be open 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Friday, March 20. Going forward the plan is to offer the 8-9 a.m. slot on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That could change based on demand.
▪ Target announced in a news release that it will have the first hour of operation on Wednesdays dedicated to seniors and those shoppers with underlying health concerns. The first one for the Bellingham Target at the Bellis Fair mall is scheduled for 7 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18.
Target is also adjusting its hours starting March 18, closing at 9 p.m. to restock and do extra cleaning.
▪ Albertsons announced that it is dedicating two hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays to be open just for seniors, pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions. That applies to all of its 2,200 stores, including the Safeway and Haggen stores in Whatcom County. The time slot for this is 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
▪ Bellingham Whole Foods is opening for seniors-only shopping from 8-9 a.m. daily for customers over 60. Shopping hours for all others is 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to Jonathan Sharp, shift leader at the market.
▪ The Community Food Co-op has added its own hour for high-risk shoppers (seniors, those with underlying health issues, pregnant women). It is from 8-9 a.m. daily. The two Bellingham stores are asking those not in the high-risk groups to wait until 9 a.m. to start shopping.
▪ Walmart announced Thursday, March 19, that it’s U.S. stores will hold senior shopping every Tuesday for customers aged 60 and older beginning March 24 for one hour before stores open. Regular store hours have changed to 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Stores that open later than 7 a.m. will continue their regular starting hours.
“Stores will have limits for customers in certain categories including paper products, milk, eggs, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, water, diapers, wipes, formula and baby food,” the release stated.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 4:53 PM.
