As shoppers swarm grocery stores in response to the spread of the new coronavirus, some are beginning to make adjustments to meet customers' demands.

Fry's Food Stores are changing hours to keep up with increased demands, company officials announced Saturday in a statement.

The new daily store hours will be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. in Arizona.

The company said in the statement the change was made to "better serve our customers and balance the needs of our associates."

These are shorter hours in most cases, but with the hope that it will allow store teams time to restock food and other essential items.

"We remain focused on doing all the things we need to do to keep our associates and customers safe and healthy," the statement read. "As we continue to monitor this rapidly evolving situation, we strive to make decisions that balance the safety of our associates with our commitments to our customers and communities."

Fry's will also be hiring additional employees to meet their customers needs. An email about immediate openings said "we're here for our customers and communities when they need us most, with open stores and openhearted hospitality. To help keep our stores stocked with fresh, affordable food and essentials, we're now hiring ... with immediate positions available."

Albertsons and Safeway

Stores also are changing hours at Albertsons, a grocery store company which operates a number of different stores, including Safeway.

Nancy Keane, a public affairs representative for the Southwest Division of Albertsons said that Albertsons and Safeway stores are opening one hour later and closing one hour earlier to give staff time to restock shelves with food and other essential items. Keane said this applies to all Albertsons stores.

She also hopes it will help staff who have been handling a surge of customers.

"They're there to serve the customers, and they've been absolutely wonderful," Keane said in a phone interview Saturday.

As far as policies on any purchasing limitations, Keane said there are "no limits on products you can buy" at this time.

Bashas

At Bashas grocery stores, store hours will temporarily change Sunday to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., while Bashas’ Diné hours will become 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to a note on the store's website.

However, the note also warned that exact store hours may vary by location and advised shoppers to call their local store to confirm.

Check back for updates.

Reach the reporter at kfitzgeral@gannett.com or 480-356-6407. Follow her on Twitter @kfitz134.

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