If you’ve been to a grocery store in the last week, you’ve probably seen empty shelves as shoppers stock up on essentials for getting through the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Some grocers 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. Others have introduced measures to keep aisles and checkout lines from getting too crowded. Many are shortening their hours to give employees more time to restock shelves and deep-clean heavily trafficked parts of stores. And a few are extending special hours to seniors and other shoppers who are particularly vulnerable during the crisis.

Here’s a look at what some grocery stores are doing in response to coronavirus:

Costco: Over the weekend, 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 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to give employees more time to clean and restock stores.

Fred Meyer: On Thursday, 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.

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. 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: This week, Natural Grocers began closing stores at 7:35 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.

New Seasons Markets: On Sunday, 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.

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 Wednesday, March 18, Target announced that would begin closing all stores at 9 p.m. to allow more time for restocking and cleaning. Also Wednesday, 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.

Trader Joe’s: On Monday, March 16, Trader Joe’s cut hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. until further notice. Last week, the company announced that it would be eliminating food and drink samples, and was encouraging employees to practice proper personal hygiene.

Walmart: On Thursday, 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 announced that it would modify hours of operation for some stores, and that it would increase the amount of in-store cleaning throughout the day. 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. On Wednesday, it announced that it would allow shopper over age 60 to shop an hour before stores regularly open.

WinCo Foods: Over the weekend, WinCo announced that it would begin closing some stores from midnight to 5 a.m. to give employees more time to clean and restock. It did not specify which stores would close overnight, and referred customers to in-store signage regarding hours. 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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