High-Risk Shoppers Get Special Grocery Store Hours: Coronavirus

HIGHLAND, MD — For 70 years, Boarman's Old Fashioned Meat Market has catered to Howard County customers seeking an array of hand-cut meat, prepared foods, fresh produce and eggs, dairy items and more. It's a quaint yet bustling grocery store currently operated by the fourth generation of Boarmans that has taken into account the fragile health status of community members during the new coronavirus pandemic.

To accommodate for "high risk customers" age 65 and older, Boarman's Old Fashioned Meat Market sets aside two to three hours in the morning for only those customers to shop and grab what they need. On their Facebook page, they update customers with their inventory to help them better plan their shopping trip.

"At the moment we have plenty of milk butter and eggs. We also have plenty of beef and sausage. As of 8 p.m. tonight we received a small shipment of chicken. Tomorrow morning we are hopefully expecting a large amount of beef for ground beef and pork. We won't be receiving anymore grocery dry goods and paper products 'till possibly Thursday," their Facebook page stated.

A cashier who answered the grocery store's phone Tuesday afternoon said that customers have expressed their appreciation for the special hours while checking out.

"People have been grateful and thanking us for the extra hours," she told Patch. "The Boarman family has a few senior loved ones who fall into the high risk category, too, and we just really care about our customers."

Georgie Boarman Jr. told WMAR that as soon as the store opened its doors Monday with its new hours set aside just for seniors, they were packed.

"There was a line around the corner of the store. These are the people that really need stuff and they really shouldn't be going out so if these big stores don't allow for them, they aren't going to have. They're going to go without," he said.

While there's no hand sanitizer and the supply of toilet paper ebbs and flows, high risk customers are able to snag the staples. The Boarman family suggests people watch their Facebook page to monitor inventory supplies.

Read More:

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• MD Governor Orders Restaurants, Bars, Gyms, Theaters To Close
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• MD Grocery Stores Cut Hours For Coronavirus Cleaning, Restocking
• MD Casinos, Racetracks Ordered Closed By Gov. Hogan