VA Grocery Stores Cut Hours For Coronavirus Cleaning, Restocking

NORTHERN VIRGINIA — Hordes of shoppers stocking up on peanut butter and fighting in store aisles over the last package of toilet paper are prompting grocery stores in Northern Virginia to adjust store hours to allow staff more time to restock and clean store shelves.

At 6 a.m. Saturday, grocery stores in the region were already beginning to fill up with shoppers looking for food and other necessities out of fear that stores would soon run out of supplies. After three straight days of panic buying, many stores were out of toilet paper and cleaning products and had limited supplies of items such as meat, cereal and vegetables.

Several chains, including Wegmans and Harris Teeter, announced Saturday that hours would be modified for various reasons, all of which stemmed from the ongoing new coronavirus outbreak. Some stores cited the health of employees as a reason for the move.

Landover, Maryland-based Giant Food said Saturday that it currently has no plans to close stores or adjust hours. "We are continuing to monitor our ability to service our stores and will only adjust if absolutely necessary," the grocery chain said.

However, the grocery store chain said its stores, distribution centers, national supply chains and vendor partners are being "pushed to their limits."

The grocer has stopped taking Giant Pickup orders because of inconsistent levels of supply in its stores each day. Giant Delivers, which is fulfilled at a local distribution center, is still available to customers, although delivery availability will fluctuate due to the high demand.

"We want to ensure to our customers that we are continuing to work hard to provide for their needs, but it has not been without challenges," a message to customers said Saturday. "Our stores, distribution centers, national supply chains and vendor partners are being pushed to their limits, but we are all working together, across the industry, to make sure that our communities have the products and services they need for their families and themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Giant said its employees are "working tirelessly" to restock shelves. "Our customers can rest assured that if an item is out of stock, we are in contact with our suppliers and partners to replenish it as quickly as possible," the grocer said. "We kindly ask that our customers limit their purchase to what they need right now in order to provide products to as many people as possible.

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Giant also urged customers to bring reusable bags to shop because increased shopping in the D.C. area has put a strain on its shopping bag supplies.

Here's a look at the latest grocery chains announcing updated hours:

Harris Teeter: Starting Sunday night, all stores will close at 9 p.m. ET each night, the company tweeted.

Giant Food: With 163 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, the company said in a release that it has no plans to change store hours as of Saturday.

Wegman's: Stores will now be open the following hours: Maryland stores, 6 a.m.-10 p.m., and Virginia stores, 6 a.m.-11 p.m.

Aldi: Some stores will be temporarily closed or have limited hours, thechain's website said Saturday. "At this time, we cannot provide specific location information. We appreciate you as our customer and continue to do what we can."

Lidl: So far there are no changes to store hours, the company said Saturday night.

Other grocery chains, including Trader Joe's, Target, BJ's and Whole Foods have not announced any changes to hours, though many have announced staff will do more cleaning in stores to curb potential coronavirus spread.

On March 10, Walmart officials said they were "evaluating whether to modify store hours at some 24-hour facilities to allow for additional cleaning," CNN reported.

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