SLO County grocery stores are cutting hours amid coronavirus outbreak
As fear over the coronavirus outbreak causes a flurry of buying at stores across San Luis Obispo County, some local grocery stores are cutting hours in an effort to reduce the risk of spreading the disease among their employees and patrons.
After roughly a week of empty shelves and complaints about the lack of toiletries at local stores, San Luis Obispo County Public Health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein on Monday urged residents to “use common sense” when shopping for supplies.
Borenstein said she did not advise “hoarding” of essential goods such as toilet paper and bottled water.
Instead, she asked for buyers to only purchase what would be necessary to get them through a two-week period if they were quarantined and unable to have someone bring them groceries.
“This is not the apocalypse,” Borenstein said. “We will get through this.”
In the meantime, if you do have to stock up on supplies — or just need to grab a gallon of milk — here are some of the stores in San Luis Obispo County that have changed their shopping hours in light of the outbreak:
Trader Joe’s
As of Monday, Trader Joe’s has adjusted its hours at all its stores, including its San Luis Obispo County locations in Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo and Templeton.
The San Luis Obispo County locations are usually open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., but according to an announcement on its website, the company has shortened its hours to 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Trader Joe’s said the shorter hours is an effort “to support our crew members in taking care of one another and our customers.”
Ralphs, Food 4 Less
Ralphs, owned by the Kroger Co., has changed its daily store hours to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The grocery company has also committed to cleaning commonly used areas more often, sanitizing restrooms more frequently, adding extra hand sanitizer for use throughout the stores, wiping down shopping carts and equipment and partnering with suppliers to quickly replenish high-demand products.
The San Luis Obispo and Los Osos Ralphs locations were previously open from 6 a.m. to midnight.
Food 4 Less
Food 4 Less is now open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a senior hour from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.
The Food 4 Less locations in Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo were all open 24 hours a day.
Albertsons, Vons
Albertsons Companies, which also owns Vons, has cut hours at some of its stores, though the company has not issued a statement specifying the changes in operation times.
All Vons and Albertsons stores in San Luis Obispo County now are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, according to the Albertson’s Companies website — a drastic difference from the previous hours of operation for the grocery stores.
In San Luis Obispo, the Vons on Broad Street appears to have changed its hours from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., according to the former hours listed on Yelp.
Vons stores in Atascadero and Grover Beach were previously open from 6 a.m. to midnight, while the Albertsons in Atascadero and Paso Robles were open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Albertsons in Morro Bay was open 5 a.m. to midnight.
The grocery company is encouraging customers to use its Grocery Delivery or Drive Up & Go services if they have a fever or flu symptoms, according to a news release on the Albertsons Companies website.
Smart & Final
Smart & Final stores will now be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. “until further notice,” according to a statement on the company’s website.
“The reduced hours allow us sufficient time to thoroughly clean our stores, restock merchandise and ensure a safe and healthy shopping experience for our customers and employees,” read the statement.
It is unclear what the previous hours were for the two Smart & Final stores in Paso Robles, and ones in San Luis Obispo, Atascadero and Arroyo Grande.
California Fresh Market
California Fresh Market, which has locations in San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach has changed its hours to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. as of Tuesday.
The stores have also set aside an hour from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. for customers over the age of 60 and immunocompromised customers to shop without risk of exposure, according to a Facebook announcement Tuesday morning.
The Pismo Beach store was previously open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the San Luis Obispo store from 6 a.m. to midnight.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to update information Food 4 Less’s ownership and its new hours.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 10:53 AM.
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