Hy-Vee Installs Temporary Protective Windows at Checkouts, Temporarily Bans Use of Reusable Bags to Help Limit Spread of COVID-19

March 19, 2020 | News & Press Releases

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (March 19, 2020) — Hy-Vee, Inc. announces today additional changes to its operations in response to the evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Effective Friday, March 20, customers will no longer be allowed to bring in reusable bags until further notice since it is difficult to monitor their cleanliness. Because it is not always easy to know the sanitization procedures customers are taking at their homes to keep the bags clean, this is one more way the grocer is helping prevent the spread of the virus.

Customers also will start seeing temporary window panels installed at checkouts to help provide an additional layer of protection for both our employees and customers.

These panels are being installed at the checkout, as this is the point in the store visit where customers and employees are in the closest contact. In the aisles or at our service counters, customers and employees have more flexibility in placing distance between themselves but the setup of the checkout limits that ability. These panels are in place in our Des Moines-area stores, and will be installed in all other Hy-Vee locations over the next few days.

“The spread of this virus is asking us all to take extraordinary measures and change the way we live our lives,” said Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee’s chairman, CEO and president. “We are continuing to adapt at Hy-Vee so that we can serve our customers and keep everyone in our stores as safe and healthy as possible.”

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Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 265 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of $10 billion annually. The supermarket chain is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise and superior customer service. Hy-Vee ranks in the Top 10 Most Trusted Brands and has been named one of America’s Top 5 favorite grocery stores. The company’s more than 80,000 employees provide “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle” to customers every day. For additional information, visit www.hy-vee.com.