Grocery Stores Hosting Special Hours During the Coronavirus Pandemic for Seniors

Stores across the nation are taking measures to make sure those most vulnerable have access to groceries and supplies.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older adults and people with underlying health conditions are more susceptible to the coronavirus (COVID-19), grocery stores are dedicating time for only senior shoppers and other at-risk groups.

Smith’s Food & Drugs
Smith’s stores will dedicate the first hour on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., solely to the shopping needs of senior citizens. This will continue until further notice.

Albertsons
Every Tuesday and Thursday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Albertsons will offer shopping to senior citizens and other at-risk populations, such as pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems.

Big Lots
The retailer said it is reserving the first hour of each day for seniors and the most vulnerable. The stores open at 9 a.m.

Costco
Costco will open its doors for members 60 years and older Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

La Bonita Supermarkets
La Bonita Supermarkets. All stores will reserve the first two hours, 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., for those 60 and older, allowing no more than 50 customers inside at a time.

Mariana’s Supermarkets
People who are 65 and older, disabled or pregnant will be given priority access from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. daily.

Target
Target says the first hour of shopping every Wednesday will be reserved for “vulnerable guests,” including those over 65 years old, pregnant women or those defined by the CDC as vulnerable or at-risk.

Walgreens
Walgreens is offering a “Seniors-only hour” every Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Dollar General
Dollar General stores will dedicate the first hour of every shopping day to senior shoppers.

Walmart
Walmart is offering senior shopping every Tuesday, it will start one hour before the store opens to the public. The pharmacies will also be open during this time. The vision centers will be open to help with emergency and essential needs only.

Whole Foods
All its stores in the United States will serve customers 60 and older every Wednesday and Friday, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.

Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s is reserving the first hour of daily shopping to senior customers, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m, everyday.

Sam’s Club
Sam’s Club stores will have early shopping hours every Tuesday and Thursday from 7 to 9 a.m. for seniors and those with disabilities or compromised immune systems. The special shopping hours will be available until further notice.

Vons
Every Tuesday and Thursday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Vons will offer shopping to senior citizens and other at-risk populations, such as pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems.

Non-Profits Addressing Food Insecurity in Southern Nevada

If you or a loved one need assistance getting food, or you are a senior (60+) in need of home delivered groceries, you can call Three Square at (702) 765-4030.

Helping Hands of Vegas Valley and Three Square are teaming up to make sure seniors in the community can get food regardless of income.

Helping Hands of Vegas Valley offers walk-in pantry hours Monday through Wednesday, 8am-12pm and also delivers food to home bound seniors and offers transportation service to seniors in need. Call (702) 633-7264 for details.

For more information about Three Square, visit threesquare.org. Details about Helping Hands of Vegas Valley’s senior food, transportation and pantry delivery program can be found at hhovv.org.

Grocery Shopping Online During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Grocery stores are one of the few businesses deemed ‘essential’ during this pandemic. In this new age of maintaining social distancing, leaders and government officials recommend staying home as much as possible to flatten the curve.

Grocery stores have done their best to sanitize grocery carts/baskets, limit the amount of people in the store and offer special shopping hours for seniors and at-risk groups during coronavirus pandemic. Still in an average crowded grocery store, it can be challenging  to keep six feet of space between everyone.

When you consider these factors, it might be a great idea for seniors and high at-risk groups to order their groceries online. Here’s a list of resources to order your groceries online.

Shipt
Shipt offers an $99 for annual membership and $14 for monthly membership which can be canceled at any time. There’s free delivery on any order over $35. Orders under $35 have a $7 delivery fee. There’s no extra charge for ordering during a busy time. There’s no minimal order amount either.

Some of the stores listed on Shipt include:

• CVS
• Petco
• Target
• Smiths
• Vons

Instacart
Instacart offers two types of delivery services. You can pay an average of between $3.99 and $8.99 per delivery or enroll in their unlimited delivery membership. The membership is called Instacart Express, and with it you’ll get free grocery deliveries for all orders over $35. It costs $99 a year, after a two-week free trial. If you opt out of doing the Instacart Express, the delivery fee depends on the size of your order and the delivery time that you choose. The fee for each delivery will be displayed when selecting a delivery window during checkout, before you place your order. You might encounter an extra charge for ordering during a busy time or one that requires a heavy lift. Instacart also offers a pickup option for participating stores, there’s a curbside pickup fee that varies per retailer from free to $4.99. The pickup option is free for those with the Instacart Express membership. Keep in mind that all orders for Instacart must be $10 or more.

Some of the stores listed on Instacart include:

• Sprouts
• Costco
• Sam’s Club
• Natural Grocers
• Albertsons
• Smiths

Walmart
Walmart offers unlimited delivery membership. It’s called Delivery Unlimited, a membership that cost $12.95 a month or $98 per year. and with it you’ll get free grocery deliveries for all orders over $30. If you opt out of doing the Delivery Unlimited, the delivery fee is usually $9.95 per order. Right now, it’s nearly impossible to place an online delivery order, but depending on where your nearest Walmart store it is possible to order your groceries online for pickup at no extra charge. You’ll be able to pick a time slot that works best with you and Walmart associate will do the shopping for you and bring the groceries to your car.

Whole Foods
Whole Foods offers delivery and pickup options, the service is only available to Amazon Prime subscribers. Prime membership generally costs $12.99 per month or $119 per year, and new subscribers are eligible for a 30-day free trial. If available, you can get one-hour delivery, and the delivery fee will be charged based on the order’s subtotal. Plus, you can get free two-hour delivery of grocery orders of $35 or more. For orders over $35, you can select the Free Pickup window as soon as 1 hour after checkout. If your order is less than $35 or you choose to pick up as soon as 30 minutes after checkout, a pickup fee will be charged.

Other grocery stores that offer the pickup option include Albertsons, Smith’s, and Von’s.