Coronavirus: When are supermarket opening times for NHS and pensioners?
As the UK heads into lockdown because of the coronavirus outbreak, supermarkets have enforced tighter restrictions and changed opening hours.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday ordered all “non-essential” shops to close, leaving supermarkets one of the few stores to remain open.
In recent weeks supermarkets have struggled to keep shelves replenished as consumers embarked on coronavirus panic buying sprees in anticipation of tighter restrictions.
When are supermarkets’ opening times during the coronavirus outbreak?
Johnson said supermarkets will stay open amid the lockdown, but some shops have cut hours in a bid to restock shelves.
Asda has reduced its store opening hours to 8am to 10pm, to give workers more time to restock shelves. The supermarket has also temporarily closed its non-essential services such as pizza and rotisserie counters.
Tesco has also announced that 24-hour stores will close from 10pm to 6am to aid restocking. And several others announced they will operate slightly shorter trading hours.
Aldi previously introduced an earlier closing time of 8pm to give staff the opportunity to restock.
However the budget supermarket has since decided to extend its opening hours to 8 am to 10pm between Monday and Saturday, saying shelves are now well stocked throughout the day.
Lidl also opens at 8am, with most stores open until 10pm. The discount store told customers that the busiest time to shop is between 8am and 11am, while afternoons are quieter. The quietest time to shop is after 2pm until closing time.
Iceland stores open from 9am, while Morrisons has not yet announced any changes to opening times,with most opening at 7am.
Sainsbury’s stores are open between 8am and 8pm, and Tesco is open between 6am and 10pm.
What are the supermarket opening times for NHS workers and pensioners?
Over the weekend, the PM said 1.5m vulnerable and elderly people will have to self-isolate for up to 12 weeks during the coronavirus outbreak.
Some supermarkets have dedicated hours to the elderly and vulnerable to ensure they’re able to pick supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak without worrying if items are sold out.
In a similar vein, some supermarkets are prioritising NHS workers after mass panic buying left some stores stripped of goods.
Tesco
Tesco has said the first opening hour of all its supermarket opening times will be dedicated to elderly and vulnerable customers every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, except at Express stores.
NHS staff who show a valid ID card are able to shop for an hour before normal opening hours every Tuesday and Thursday at Tesco. NHS workers are also able to browse for an hour before checkouts open on Sundays. Tesco extended the NHS shopping hours following feedback from customers.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s supermarkets will be open to the elderly between 8am and 9am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
NHS workers have a dedicated slot between 7.30am and 8am Monday to Saturday at Sainsbury’s.
Customers that have been identified as vulnerable have been given priority access to Sainsbury’s home delivery slots.
Sainsbury’s is also preparing to launch a volunteers shopping card, to make it easier for people to buy essentials for others that are self-isolating.
Waitrose
Waitrose has also made the first opening hour of its supermarkets available only to vulnerable shoppers.
It does not have any opening hours reserved for key coronavirus workers. But it will hold aside some of the most popular items for such staff.
M&S
Marks & Spencer will invite only elderly and vulnerable shoppers into its supermarkets for their first hour of trading on Mondays and Thursdays. NHS workers will get sole access on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Asda
Similarly, Asda has given priority to NHS workers in its larger stores every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am to 9am. It has not reserved any opening hours solely for elderly or vulnerable shoppers.
The supermarket has launched a volunteers shopping card to make it easier for people to help vulnerable people with their shopping.
Morrisons
NHS staff will have dedicated shopping times at Morrisons supermarkets between 7am and 8am throughout the week, save for Sundays.
NHS workers are also eligible for a 10 per cent discount until at least 12 July, and the supermarket has launched an NHS click and collect box which will be delivered directly to hospitals.
The supermarket is also offering a telesales option for elderly and vulnerable customers that may not be familiar with online ordering and are unable to get to stores.
Iceland
Iceland has announced that online orders have been limited to customers who are over state pension age, those in self-isolation and other vulnerable people. The last hour of in-store trading each day is reserved for NHS workers.
Can I order online during the coronavirus outbreak?
In his address to the nation, the Prime Minister urged Brits to move to online delivery as he tightened coronavirus restrictions.
“You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine – and you should do this as little as you can. And use food delivery services where you can,” Johnson said.
However in recent weeks, supermarkets’ online delivery services have faced a surge in demand in the face of coronavirus restrictions.
Ocado online delivery
Ocado shut its website for several days as it struggled to cope with the surge in demand. It has stopped any deliveries to new online accounts as it attempts to meet demand and prioritises vulnerable customers.
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Tesco online delivery
Tesco has already identified and contacted 75,000 vulnerable customers from a list of provided by the government.
Read more: Coronavirus: Tesco adds 100,000 online delivery and collect slots
The supermarket also made 40,000 home delivery slots available to its most vulnerable customers on Sunday, the first time it has completed orders on Easter Sunday.
The supermarket has increased its home delivery and click and collect capacity to around 958,000 slots. That compares to 808,000 two weeks ago.
This week the supermarket will add more than 8,000 new slots per day.
Tesco said it has plans to add hundreds of thousands of slots in the coming weeks.
It said it had hired an additional 200 vans, 2,500 drivers and 5,000 stock pickers but is continuing to urge customers to shop in store if they are able to.
Sainsbury’s online delivery
Sainsbury’s announced it will have 600,000 online delivery and click and collect slots by the end of next week. Slots have been scarce and the supermarket stopped taking orders from newly created accounts to prioritise elderly and vulnerable customers.
Morrisons online delivery
Morrisons has launched a food box service for people who cannot get a delivery slot. Shoppers can pay £35 for a box of shopping but they cannot choose what’s inside, although the supermarket has promised it is full of essentials.
Waitrose online delivery
Waitrose announced that it will treble its rapid delivery slots by the end of next week, with 40 per cent of the new capacity reserved for elderly and vulnerable customers. The supermarket will boost the number of slots from 2,000 to 7,000.
The rapid delivery service, which offers delivery within two hours or less or on the same day, has been trialled from eight London shops, as well as in Hove, East Sussex.
From today the service, which allows customers to choose from 25 items, will be available in the areas surrounding an additional 20 shops across London.
Waitrose has also announced that it will offer an additional 10,000 online grocery collection slots, taking the total number available each week to 30,000,
Online delivery outfit Milk & More
Milk & More was delivering shopping as early as last week but it has seen shortages of in-demand products such as eggs. Shoppers have struggled to access the website, and when they do, face huge shopping queues.
How are supermarkets preventing coronavirus stockpiling?
Supermarkets have begun to ease restrictions on the number of productions customers can buy as availability has improved.
Earlier this month, major supermarkets were forced to limit the number of items shoppers could buy, after a period of panic buying.
Aldi had limited shoppers to four items on all products but has since announced that, while the purchase of some in-demand products is still limited, restrictions on most have been limited.
Items such as toilet roll, pasta and alcohol are still subject to the four-per-person rule. Hand wash, bleach, shower gel, some canned goods and part baked breads are also restricted.
Asda has said people can buy up to three of any product across hand washing and baby milk products in store, and customers are limited to three of each item online.
Sainsbury’s has also started removing restrictions from its supermarket goods, although there are still limits on pasta, UHT milk, antibacterial products and some tinned and frozen foods.
The supermarket had previously told customers they can buy a maximum of three of any grocery product.
Morrisons has increased the limit for some items from three to four per customers. Restrictions on some products have been removed to encourage customers to donate to food banks, which have reported a slump in donations.
Tesco is introducing floor markings in car parkings to help customers maintain safe distances when queuing, and similar measures will be taken in stores.
Co-op announced this morning that it would lift restrictions on the number of products customers can buy. The retailer said the two-items per customer rule would be lifted across most products, except for baby milk, hand wash, household cleaning products, tinned vegetables, fish and meat, pasta, flour and eggs.
Debbie Robinson, Central England Co-op chief executive, said: “Thanks to the work of our colleagues and suppliers and support from our communities, we are pleased to be able to lift the majority of restrictions we have in place on products in our stores.”
What are supermarkets’ social distancing measures?
Waitrose and Sainsbury’s have limited the number of people allowed in stores at any one time to ensure social distancing measures are adhered to.
Waitrose said it will operate a one in, one out policy when shops are at capacity.
The supermarket said marshals will help to manage queues outside stores and enforce the two-metre social distancing rule. Floor stickers will also be introduced into all Waitrose supermarkets to ensure customers keep two metres apart while queuing at a checkout.
As part of efforts to protect staff, the supermarket has ordered checkout screens and protective visors for staff. Supermarkets are also encouraging customers to use contactless cards to pay, not cash.
Lidl and Aldi have already rolled out protective screens nationwide to protect staff and customers. Tesco is reportedly also installing screens at checkouts.
Aldi and Waitrose have both urged shoppers to use contactless payments where possible to avoid cash. It comes after the spending limit for contactless card payments was raised from £30 to £45 yesterday amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Sainsbury’s will now only admit one shopper per household to its stores in a bid to limit the spread of coronavirus. Coupe said “This helps us keep people a safe distance apart and also helps to reduce queues to get into stores.”
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