Texas grocery stores cutting hours and limiting purchases because of coronavirus
With concern over the novel coronavirus prompting people to flock to grocery stores to stock up, retailers across the country are trimming hours and limiting some purchases to help keep shelves full.
From Walmart to Albertsons, stores are limiting the purchase of high-demand items like sanitary wipes and canned soup. Many stores have been out-of-stock of some items for the past week and say reduced hours will help suppliers catch up with demand. Target and other retailers have said they will ramp up cleaning efforts in stores to prevent the spread of coronavirus, a flu-like illness.
As of Sunday afternoon, Tarrant County had reported four cases of the new coronavirus, also called COVID-19. People are urged to stay home unless necessary, avoiding close contact with other.
Concern over quarantining has prompted a rush to grocery stores, putting a strain on supplies.
To expedite delivery, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott waived some commercial trucking regulations, his office announced Saturday. On Sunday he waived state laws that prohibit trucks from the alcohol industry from delivering supplies to grocery stores as a way to provide grocers with another private-sector option to keep their shelves stocked.
Abbott declared a state of emergency Friday.
Oversize and overweight restrictions for commercial trucks have been suspended as well as the need to register under the International Registration Plan. The need to obtain 72-hour and 144-hour temporary registration permits is also waived, as long as the truck is registered in one of the states of the U.S.
Starting Sunday, Walmart stores and Neighborhood Markets will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. until further notice, the company said in a statement Saturday.
“This will help ensure associates are able to stock the products our customers are looking for and to perform cleaning and sanitizing,” the statement said.
Albertsons, owner of Tom Thumb, said in a statement on the company’s website it will limit high-demand items like hand sanitizers and household cleaners.
On Twitter, Kroger said it would limit store hours at some Texas locations to 7 a.m.-10 p.m.
H-E-B and its offshoot, Central Market, have limited all store hours to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The stores have also limited the amount of some items each person can buy. A complete list can be found at H-E-B’s website.
Starting Monday, all Trader Joe’s stores will be open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. until further notice, the company posted on its website.
Target, in an online statement, said employees will be cleaning surfaces such as checkout lanes and touch screens as often as every 30 minutes. It is also placing limits on products like hand sanitizer, toilet paper, disinfectant wipes and bottled water.
A sign at a Fort Worth CVS noted similar limits, including purified water.
At a Kroger in northeast Fort Worth, the toilet paper and paper towel section was bare. A sign warned customers that they would be permitted to buy only three of some items, including cold and flu medication.
The Montgomery Plaza Target near downtown Fort Worth has been without household cleaner for at least a week.
Grocery stores are not the only retailers trimming hours.
Apple announced it will close all stores outside of China until March 27. Nike made a similar move, USA Today reported, and Urban Outfitters will close stores through March 28.
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 3:45 PM.
