Twin Cities Grocer Reserves First Hour For At-Risk Shoppers

One Minnesota grocery store chain is stepping up and making it easier for shoppers most at-risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus.

When our lifestyle changes abruptly, like it has in the last week due to the coronavirus outbreak, it's easy to grumble about some of the inconveniences that affect us. Like how some of the shelves at grocery stores around Minnesota are out of staples like milk, bread and-- wait for it-- toilet paper, unless you're there early in the morning, right after the store has opened, right?

I know my wife and I were a little surprised how empty the shelves were in the bread aisle and milk coolers at Target North and Hy-Vee West Circle in Rochester Sunday afternoon. But it wasn't an emergency for us-- we eventually found what we were looking for, after a few more stops.

But if you're one of the persons most at-risk of coming down with COVID-19, it might not be easy to get out and search all over to get the supplies you need. Which is why one Minnesota grocery store chain has decided to dedicate the hour after it opens in the morning-- when the shelves are freshly stocked-- to those in need the most.

According to BringMeTheNews, Lunds & Byerlys in the Twin Cities is asking its shoppers to "observe its new policy that the first hour of business, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., be reserved for those who are most at risk from COVID-19, including older adults and those with compromised immune systems," the story noted.

Well done, Lunds & Byerlys! Will any store here in the Rochester area follow suit? Let me know if you've heard about any store enacting a similar policy here in southeast Minnesota!

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