HEB Alters Texas Store Hours Amid Coronavirus Shopping

AUSTIN, TX — HEB will modify its store hours starting on Sunday to accommodate its customers in light of shopping fueled by fear and uncertainty related to the new coronavirus outbreak that has resulted in empty food shelves, officials announced.

Anxiety over the outbreak of respiratory illness has prompted many people to hoard supplies, resulting in temporary food shortages. To accommodate heightened demand, the grocer chain said it would implement a new schedule at its stores beginning on Sunday, March 15, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until further notice.

The new schedule applies to all HEB stores and pharmacies, Central Market locations and Joe V's and Mi Tienda locations, officials said. Previously, HEB implemented limits on the amounts of other supplies — toilet paper, anti-bacterial gel, sanitary wipes among them — that customers could purchase per visit.

"While we restock our shelves around the clock, much of our restocking and replenishment happens overnight when our stores are closed," officials wrote on the corporate website. "This temporary change in store hours will give our Partners extra time to work diligently overnight to better stock our shelves, allowing us to better serve our customers."

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No timeline was given as to when the chain — the dominant grocer in Texas — would resume normal hours: "We will return to our regular hours and full services as soon as we can," officials wrote succinctly.

Store shelves at an Austin HEB store were bare on Friday, March 14, as panicked customers fortify their supplies amid illness outbreak. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

Concurrently, the company announced alterations to some services: "As we adapt to serve our communities, our customers will also see reduced services in our delis, bakeries and floral departments," officials wrote. "These temporary changes in the way we run our stores will allow us to get customers the products they need. Customers will not be charged for cancelled orders due to department closures."

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COVID-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that’s a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past. In declaring the state a disaster area given ongoing and growing contagion, Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday said 39 confirmed cases have been detected in Texas to date. On Friday, Austin Public Health officials revealed positive diagnoses for two patients, and University of Texas at Austin President Gregory L. Fenves revealed his wife had tested positive. Across the U.S., more than 1,600 COVID-19 and 40 related deaths have been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Given the ensuing panic fueled by anxiety, people have taken to hoarding supplies in the face of uncertainty. HEB officials in their statement alluded to the panic phenomenon while gently encouraging customers not to hoard supplies.

"Please remember that while preparation is important, panic is not necessary," HEB officials wrote. "We encourage preparedness but there’s no need to overbuy. HEB has plenty of product and it arrives daily. We are in this as a community and it’s important to keep calm. Together, we can do our part to #SlowtheSpreadTexas."

In a related development, the chain has halted its restaurant services: "To serve you better, we have made the decision to temporarily close our restaurants so our Partners can assist customers in stores," officials wrote. "HEB stores remain open but all True Texas BBQ, Flaming Bird, South Flo Pizza, Table 620, 3009, Oaks Crossing and The Roastery Meyerland location will be closed until further notice. Temporarily closing our restaurants will allow us to continue to focus on serving our customers and replenish products to H-E-B stores. We’ll reopen our restaurants as soon as we’re able."

Schedules to other store departments have been altered as well: "As we adapt to serve our customers, our communities need to adapt to temporary changes in the way we run our stores," officials wrote. "To provide the best service, customers may see changes and limited services in our bakery, deli and floral departments, as well as our Showtime and Cooking Connection stations. Partners dedicated to these areas will temporarily support our customer experience in store as well as H-E-B Curbside pickup and Home Delivery operations.