This week, Costco and WinCo Foods announced reductions in their store hours, joining a long list of Portland area grocery stores that are cutting back hours of operation to adapt to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Beginning Monday, Costco will close stores at 6:30 p.m. on weekdays (weekend hours remain the same). WinCo Foods, which normally is open round-the-clock, has cut store hours to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (opening at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays).

As stores have seen long lines of shoppers stocking up on essentials, they’ve had to reduce hours to give employees more time to restock shelves and deep-clean heavily trafficked parts of stores.

Grocers have been urging customers to buy only what they need, and some are limiting purchase numbers for some of the most sought-after items, such as toilet paper, facial tissue, cold and flu products, and cleaning supplies. Last week, WinCo Foods began posting signs in stores reminding shoppers of its policy against accepting returns on over-purchased items, in an effort to stop hoarding of some items.

Others stores have introduced measures to keep aisles and checkout lines from getting too crowded. And a few are extending special hours to seniors and other shoppers who are particularly vulnerable during the crisis.

Here’s the latest on what some grocery stores are doing in response to coronavirus:

Costco: Beginning on March 30, Costco will close its warehouses at 6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Weekend hours will remain unchanged. Gas stations will now close at 7 p.m. Costco will open from 8 to 9 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday for members ages 60 and older, and for those with physical impairments. Previously, Costco began limiting purchase amounts for in-demand products, and began posting notices at store entryways about sold-out products. Food court menus have been scaled back to limited items. The store has also posted signs cautioning shoppers about maintaining social distancing. Previously, Costco announced that it would eliminate food samples in warehouses.

Food 4 Less: Parent company Kroger is limiting Food 4 Less store hours to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. to give employees more time to clean and restock stores. Additionally, it is setting aside 7-7:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for senior shoppers.

Fred Meyer: On March 19, parent company Kroger announced that Fred Meyer stores would be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., giving employees more time to restock and clean. On March 23, the store announced that the first hour of business Mondays-Thursdays would be reserved for seniors and other vulnerable shoppers, with stores opening for all customers at 8 a.m. on those days. Fred Meyer also is declining returns (including refunds, store credits and product exchanges) out of safety concerns, with the exception of fresh produce, meat, seafood or deli product that doesn’t meet the store’s fresh standards.

Green Zebra Grocery: The stores’ four locations have updated hours to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with high-risk population shopping hours from 7 to 8 a.m. weekdays. The grocer also has suspended self-serve salad bars and hot- and cold-food bars.

Grocery Outlet: Because stores are locally owned, Grocery Outlet hasn’t announced overall changes beyond making hand sanitizers and cleansing wipes more available. It is recommending that customers check with their local stores for updated hours of operation.

Market of Choice: Store hours have been changed to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. until further notice, with special hours for vulnerable shoppers from 7 to 8 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. The store is limiting purchases of high-demand items, with signs indicating which products have limits. Customers are now required to use provided disposable gloves for handling scoops, ladles and tongs in the bulk section, and the salad and olive bars. Use of personal, reusable containers has been suspended in all departments. Food demos and sampling have also been suspended.

Natural Grocers: Natural Grocers is now closing stores at 7:05 p.m. to allow employees to do more cleaning. Store opening times remain unchanged. The store is also ending nutrition classes, food demonstrations, sampling, and will close its on-tap Kombucha stations through at least the end of March. The store is also setting aside 9-10 a.m. Sundays for senior shoppers and other vulnerable customers.

New Seasons Markets: New Seasons changed its hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until further notice. The store suspended food samples, and is asking customers who bring in reusable bags to pack them. New Seasons also extended senior discount days to Monday through Friday to allow older customers to spread out their grocery shopping, and now is reserving 8 a.m.-9 a.m. for senior shoppers, encouraging other customers to shop later. New Seasons has instituted store capacity limits, and asks shoppers to a social distance of 6 feet between themselves and other shoppers. Other changes include managing the flow of traffic, added in-store signage to help demonstrate a healthy distance at checkout and service counters.

Safeway/Albertsons: Albertsons Companies, which owns Safeway, announced that it would limit quantities of high-demand items like hand sanitizer and household cleaners. It also is increasing the cleaning of high-touch points, such as checkout lines. And Safeway/Albertson’s said it would set aside 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays “for those most at risk in our communities.”

Target: On March 18, Target announced that would begin closing all stores at 9 p.m. to allow more time for restocking and cleaning. Also, Target began reserving the first hour of shopping each Wednesday at stores nationwide for vulnerable guests – including elderly and those with underlying health concerns. It already increased efforts to clean surfaces such as checkout lanes and touch screens at least every 30 minutes. It also is placing sales limits on products like hand sanitizer, toilet paper and bottled water. On March 25, Target announced that it would stop accepting in-store product returns and exchanges for the three weeks. And it is asking customers who use reusable bags to bag their own items.

Trader Joe’s: On March 16, Trader Joe’s cut hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. until further notice. Previously, the company announced that it would be eliminating food and drink samples, and was encouraging employees to practice proper personal hygiene. On March 30, Trader Joe’s is offering a special shopping hour between 8 and 9 a.m. for senior customers over 60 and disabled customers.

Walmart: On March 19, Walmart cut store hours at its regular and Neighborhood Market stores to 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. until further notice to improve cleaning and restocking efforts.

Whole Foods: Whole Foods has reduced store hours to 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. for most locations. The grocery also suspended food samples and demonstrations, and is increasing its number of hand sanitizer stations. At its coffee stands, Whole Foods is no longer allowing reusable cups. Whole Foods also is allowing shoppers over age 60 to shop an hour before stores regularly open.

WinCo Foods: On March 21, WinCo reduced store hours to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (opening at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays) to give employees more time to clean and restock. It also is allowing early shopping from 6 to 7:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays for seniors, vulnerable shoppers and employees. WinCo also has closed its bulk foods sections, as well as its olive and soup bars. In an effort to stop the hoarding of some products, WinCo announced that it would not accept returns on products over-purchased in relation to the coronavirus pandemic. This includes, but is not limited to, bottled water, toilet paper, cold medicine, canned goods, and antibacterial products.

Zupan’s Markets: Hours have been modified to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to accommodate cleaning and restocking. There is increased cleaning of checkout stands and shopping carts. Salad and poke bars have been closed, and food samples have been eliminated. Deli counters are increasing the availability of grab-and-go meals. Coffee stands have eliminated personal cups. Beginning Thursday, March 19, Zupan’s added a senior and immune-comprised early shopping hour on Mondays and Thursdays from 7 to 8 a.m.

-- Grant Butler

gbutler@oregonian.com

503-221-8566; @grantbutler

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