Stores Are Offering 'Elderly Hours' To Protect Older Shoppers

I actually saw this proposed on several friends' walls on Facebook: the idea that we should set aside the first hour of each day to allow seniors to shop for groceries and other needs when the stores are freshly restocked and have been cleaned overnight.

According to an article on WNYT.com, one major retailer has adopted this plan and several others are considering doing the same.

Starting today (March 17), Dollar General will reserve the first hour of every day to be dedicated to seniors. The company says they want to ensure seniors get the goods they need in the safest environment possible at their stores. In addition, Dollar General stores will close an hour earlier to allow employees to clean, restock shelves as well as for their health and wellbeing.

Here's the post to Dollar General's Facebook page:

Market 32 just announced that they will be closing their stores at 10 pm Wednesday night to restock and sanitize. They will reopen at 7 am to the general public. However, they have set aside the first hour of the day 6 am - 7 am to exclusively serve the elderly and the most vulnerable to the coronavirus.

Other stores around the Capital Region are also looking into adopting a similar policy.