Meijer stores to stay open 24 hours a day amid COVID-19 pandemic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- One of the Louisville area's largest grocery store chains said it's committed to keeping its stores open 24 hours a day, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an open letter, Rick Keyes, president and chief executive of Meijer, said his employees are "cleaning, sanitizing and stocking our stores continuously" and that Meijer is "committed to staying open 24 hours to serve you."

In recent days, several grocery store chains, including Kroger, have scaled back their hours in an effort to restock shelves and decontaminate their stores in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Keyes said his merchant teams at Meijer are working to expedite product flow through the company's supply chain, so stores shelves can be restocked quickly. He added that purchase limits would be placed on key items in order to ensure that more shoppers would be able to purchase what they need.

Shoppers across the country have experienced frustration in recent days as day-to-day products such as toilet paper, paper towels and hand sanitizer have vanished from the shelves.

The stores have also suspended full-service operations in the meat, seafood and bulk salad departments.

"This allows our team members to prepare and package items for our self-serve refrigerated cases, and ensures products can be made available more quickly," Keyes wrote.

In response to increased demand for Home Delivery and Pickup services, Keyes said his stores would also schedule additional pickup and delivery times.

He said his stores are also in need of new seasonal employees to respond to the increased demand at his stores. He said his company has reached out to local businesses recently affected by closures to help place staff in his stores.

Despite his stores' 24-hour service time, Keyes said his employees are abiding by the CDC guidelines to keep his stores free from contamination.

"And just as we're following CDC guidelines, we're asking our customers to do this too," he added. "Please practice social distancing while shopping in our stores, and as the CDC states, please stay home if you're not feeling well. By working together in these ways, we can do our part to help prevent the spread of this virus in our communities."

Related Stories: