Store hours changing due to current situation

What’s actually the point of these shortened store hours? Like, what was the logic behind this decision...

The number of people needing to shop hasn't changed, but with shorter hours and strict capacity limits, crowds are inevitable. Honestly, it's worse than before. It feels like there's a line practically all day long. It's especially rough for anyone working a standard 9-to-5 who can't even get errands done during the week.

Waiting in line at the grocery store actually builds herd immunity...

Morgan Brown4 said:🤦

Look, this stuff was decided by health experts who actually know what they're doing. They wouldn't pull these moves without a reason.

But hey, you're the resident expert on this forum, so I'm sure you know way better than they do. 🤦

Honestly, this whole thing feels purely political. They cut store hours just so retailers can send staff home and slash labor costs—it's that simple. I'm definitely not claiming to be smarter than the pros, but their logic just doesn't track! If the goal is to limit social contact, why shorten the hours instead of extending them? That would spread the same number of people out over a longer period! Plus, stores have reduced hours, but gas stations stay open? What about the workers at those places who don't even have a restroom to use all day? Is that not an epidemiological issue too? And why are bakeries allowed to stay open when they're supposedly less "essential" than other shops? You can grab bread anywhere—Walmart, Kroger, Trader Joe's...—but you can't buy soap, detergent, or deli meats at a bakery. It's so weird—hair salons are closed, yet dog groomers are still operating (I know because I actually saw a dog getting a haircut, haha!). It just bugs me—these nonsensical, politically driven moves that ignore actual expertise. It's like asking people in a hospital for their opinion—as if they're just there to pose for photos and give soundbites! Sadly, all the big decisions happen without them.

Morgan Brown4 said:🤦

Look, this stuff was decided by health experts who actually know what they're doing. They wouldn't pull these moves without a reason.

But hey, you're the resident expert on this forum, so I'm sure you know way better than they do. 🤦

Just to add my two cents—I've been working non-stop through this whole pandemic mess. My hours are basically 8 or 9 AM until 4 or 6 PM, depending on how busy things get. So... when am I actually supposed to go grocery shopping? My buddies are also working those standard store hours 9 to 5, so when are they meant to grab food? Am I supposed to show up at the Walmart at 7 in the morning just to be first in line at 8, rush through everything by 8:20, sprint home to unload the fridge, and then fly off to work?? Or maybe finish at 4:20 and pray to God I can make it to the store before they close at 5? Why can't I just head out at 9 PM like I always have? Honestly, how does that even affect the epidemiology? At this rate, my only option is Saturday or Sunday—and then I'm stuck waiting in line for an hour. That's the real headache.

Michelle Davis15 said:Seriously, why don't they just hire more delivery drivers? I don't get it. There are more people looking for work now than there used to be. It feels like they just don't care. Maybe the new owners are just looking for a quick exit strategy rather than actually investing in the local market.

Well, obviously, because all you need for delivery is someone to carry 🤣

I was actually thinking about sending something to my parents, but I gave up on the idea... DoorDash is an option, but their service isn't exactly anything to write home about...

And Kroger doesn't even have full coverage here, they only recently opened up near Porec...
Why don't you just grab a van, start your own little LLC, and run your own deliveries? There's your big business idea right there...😉

Then again, things aren't exactly any better over in London when it comes to delivery services either...

Anthony Ross said:What’s actually the point of these shortened store hours? Like, what was the logic behind this decision...

The number of people needing to shop hasn't changed, but with shorter hours and strict capacity limits, crowds are inevitable. Honestly, it's worse than before. It feels like there's a line practically all day long. It's especially rough for anyone working a standard 9-to-5 who can't even get errands done during the week.

It makes zero sense. It's just some arbitrary box for the idiots in headquarters to check off so they can brag about "making progress." Who cares if it's completely nonsensical and doesn't actually work? Paperwork can handle whatever nonsense they want to write down, I guess.

It's just like those ridiculous checkpoints between small towns...🤣
they basically isolate the poor folks so they can't even make it to the next town over, while all the silver-spooned kids and trust fund babies just cruise around wherever they want. They probably spend their time mocking everyone on social media, posting selfies of themselves heading to Target for the fourth time in a single day just to grab some chips...

Thomas is doing deliveries through DoorDash
Fishing Rod Co. via delivery apps too

The whole idea behind stores sticking to store hours 9 to 5 is basically just trying to manage everything in one single shift... it means fewer employees are actually out there interacting with customers, and they can keep the crowds down by limiting how many people are in the aisles, plus everyone’s wearing gloves and masks and there’s all that plexiglass shielding the cashiers
And man, you can't escape those constant announcements over the speakers telling you not to touch anything unless you're actually planning on buying it...

The government is set to announce tomorrow whether they're going to ease up on the restrictions again, so we'll just have to wait and see what the new procedures look like

Sam Ramos85 said:It makes zero sense. It's just some arbitrary box for the idiots in headquarters to check off so they can brag about "making progress." Who cares if it's completely nonsensical and doesn't actually work? Paperwork can handle whatever nonsense they want to write down, I guess.

It's just like those ridiculous checkpoints between small towns...🤣
they basically isolate the poor folks so they can't even make it to the next town over, while all the silver-spooned kids and trust fund babies just cruise around wherever they want. They probably spend their time mocking everyone on social media, posting selfies of themselves heading to Target for the fourth time in a single day just to grab some chips...

Found this:

"To protect retail workers in stores permitted to operate under the social distancing mandates, and to allow for staff reallocation and efficient human resource management, operating hours for these locations are set from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM," reads the official directive.

From what I've seen—and others have too—everyone in smaller shops is just working a single shift. So much for efficient human resource management. As for the big chains like Walmart or Target, they mostly hire students anyway, which makes scaling staff a breeze. Guess this rule didn't really change much there either...

Richard Lewis16 said:Well, obviously, because all you need for delivery is someone to carry 🤣

I was actually thinking about sending something to my parents, but I gave up on the idea... DoorDash is an option, but their service isn't exactly anything to write home about...

And Kroger doesn't even have full coverage here, they only recently opened up near Porec...
Why don't you just grab a van, start your own little LLC, and run your own deliveries? There's your big business idea right there...😉

Then again, things aren't exactly any better over in London when it comes to delivery services either...

How can you say that isn't true? Isn't there a massive amount of delivery services and online grocery retailers there based on everything I've read? Actually, statistically speaking, they have one of the highest rates in the European Union—according to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 7.5% of people there shop for groceries online. From what I saw in the charts, we're sitting at the very bottom with 0.8%, just ahead of Mexico, and even North Mexico is doing better than us. It’s no wonder people would rather stand in line at a store risking infection. It's interesting that even Germany is "bad" at this with only 1.2%.

From that perspective, I get why Kroger wouldn't be expanding its delivery capacity; they won't know what to do with all those drivers once this crisis blows over.

It feels like we’ve been completely rewritten by people whose entire strategy is to infect as many folks as possible just to trigger some kind of herd mentality, and honestly, it makes us feel like nothing more than cattle...

Michelle Davis15 said:How can you say that isn't true? Isn't there a massive amount of delivery services and online grocery retailers there based on everything I've read? Actually, statistically speaking, they have one of the highest rates in the European Union—according to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 7.5% of people there shop for groceries online. From what I saw in the charts, we're sitting at the very bottom with 0.8%, just ahead of Mexico, and even North Mexico is doing better than us. It’s no wonder people would rather stand in line at a store risking infection. It's interesting that even Germany is "bad" at this with only 1.2%.

From that perspective, I get why Kroger wouldn't be expanding its delivery capacity; they won't know what to do with all those drivers once this crisis blows over.

There are plenty of delivery companies, but as far as I know, most of them require you to have a company van; otherwise, you're looking at third-party couriers, which is mostly just freelancers working themselves to death, and you see ads for those jobs constantly
In the big stores, there aren't any available slots, but it's easy enough to go to the websites of places like Walmart, Kroger, or Target and see for yourself
To be honest, we actually tried it a couple of weeks ago to help out my girlfriend's dad, but in the end, he just goes to the store himself every two or three days now
He says it's his way of getting out of the house, though I suppose for most people, it's become more or less like that
You go and you just stand outside in line and chat

They have specific hours for seniors now, but he just isn't an early riser

So, when it comes to dealing with a short-term surge in deliveries, it doesn't make much sense to hire extra staff, even on a temporary basis
Because you need pickers, drivers, and vans... it's just too much overhead when you aren't sure how long the work will actually last

Actually, the best move is usually using those security firms that handle everything, at least in the United Kingdom

But getting back to the topic, most of Asda are back to staying open until 10, I think Walmart and Aldi are too; we actually popped into one of the supermarkets (it's called Warehouse) on the way home today for a quick run because there was nobody in line, and we ended up finishing with some Pepsi
The store had pretty much everything, honestly, I think they might even have too much toilet paper right now

I was driving past a massive Kroger earlier today, and there was a line stretching out at least 50 or 100 yards down the sidewalk. I honestly can’t wrap my head around the masochism of it all. Why on earth would people willingly risk catching something just to stand in a queue for an hour when they could easily grab the exact same stuff at home for the same price? It’s almost like shopping around here has become some kind of grand social event, similar to going to a Broadway show, where people actually enjoy the spectacle of the crowd instead of just wanting to get things done.

Look, you were already told that they don't offer delivery service there...
And honestly, people in other countries are stuck standing in those same endless lines too, but I guess you’re just going to keep acting surprised by it all
So, how do you even manage your grocery shopping?
Do you just order everything online?

Michelle Davis15 said:I was driving past a massive Kroger earlier today, and there was a line stretching out at least 50 or 100 yards down the sidewalk. I honestly can’t wrap my head around the masochism of it all. Why on earth would people willingly risk catching something just to stand in a queue for an hour when they could easily grab the exact same stuff at home for the same price? It’s almost like shopping around here has become some kind of grand social event, similar to going to a Broadway show, where people actually enjoy the spectacle of the crowd instead of just wanting to get things done.

Five new cases reported today... man, you really have plenty of ways to catch something out there! 😵😵😵

Richard Lewis16 said:Look, you were already told that they don't offer delivery service there...
And honestly, people in other countries are stuck standing in those same endless lines too, but I guess you’re just going to keep acting surprised by it all
So, how do you even manage your grocery shopping?
Do you just order everything online?

Look, I go to the store too—truth be told, except for right now because of this crisis—but would I actually choose to stand in a hundred-yard line instead of just ordering delivery? No way. What I was getting at is that in the United Kingdom, about 7.5% of people shop online, the average across the European Union is around 5%, but here in the States, it’s under 1%. That was my point: it seems like people here just don't care for it, unless they're forced to by circumstances. Who knows.

But when you really stop to think about it, you head to the store, lugging around heavy bags, picking out the exact same products every single time, staring at the exact same shelves. What kind of "pleasure" is there in that? Is it a social thing, or just a mindless habit, or something else entirely?

Well, go ahead and try to order it for tomorrow, though if it’s anything I’ve seen lately, you probably can't... at least not through the usual channels, since there aren't any delivery slots left open

In the United Kingdom, the lines get pretty long, but they move fast—you're usually in and out in about 10 minutes, which isn't too bad because it's actually quite peaceful inside
It’s likely the same situation here in the States

So, what, you haven't even stepped foot in a grocery store in the last two weeks? Because from what I gather, the lines have been constant

And since I don't exactly find you to be the most reliable source, I doubt there were actually fifty people standing outside the shop, unless we're talking about a massive Kroger, but even then, you'd probably be done in 10 or 15 minutes

True, and we also order some things online via Amazon, which does count toward the data, but honestly, even with Prime these days, you still have to deal with the wait times
Plus, you can't order the same volume online as you can when you just walk into the store... for example, once every six months we'll just load up the car and go grab enough toilet paper, pet food, and cat litter to last us half a year
Delivery services have limits on how many items you can grab, and you can always find better deals in person... like how Aldi often has salads marked down by 50% if they expire in a couple of days, so the pricing isn't exactly comparable either

Michelle Davis15 said:I was driving past a massive Kroger earlier today, and there was a line stretching out at least 50 or 100 yards down the sidewalk. I honestly can’t wrap my head around the masochism of it all. Why on earth would people willingly risk catching something just to stand in a queue for an hour when they could easily grab the exact same stuff at home for the same price? It’s almost like shopping around here has become some kind of grand social event, similar to going to a Broadway show, where people actually enjoy the spectacle of the crowd instead of just wanting to get things done.

Look, it just feels stupid to me to throw money away on DoorDash when I’ve got several shops within 400 meters of my building.
And tbh, it goes against how I was raised. I was taught that ordering delivery for something you can easily grab yourself is just lazy, and I bet a lot of other people feel the same way.

Richard Lewis16 said:Well, go ahead and try to order it for tomorrow, though if it’s anything I’ve seen lately, you probably can't... at least not through the usual channels, since there aren't any delivery slots left open

In the United Kingdom, the lines get pretty long, but they move fast—you're usually in and out in about 10 minutes, which isn't too bad because it's actually quite peaceful inside
It’s likely the same situation here in the States

So, what, you haven't even stepped foot in a grocery store in the last two weeks? Because from what I gather, the lines have been constant

And since I don't exactly find you to be the most reliable source, I doubt there were actually fifty people standing outside the shop, unless we're talking about a massive Kroger, but even then, you'd probably be done in 10 or 15 minutes

True, and we also order some things online via Amazon, which does count toward the data, but honestly, even with Prime these days, you still have to deal with the wait times
Plus, you can't order the same volume online as you can when you just walk into the store... for example, once every six months we'll just load up the car and go grab enough toilet paper, pet food, and cat litter to last us half a year
Delivery services have limits on how many items you can grab, and you can always find better deals in person... like how Aldi often has salads marked down by 50% if they expire in a couple of days, so the pricing isn't exactly comparable either

Longer. Feels like those lines have been there for a month.
The first time I saw one was right around the day of the earthquake (or so I think, maybe Miller was still open that day). Or maybe it was when I went out for bread and milk sometime after the quake.
Anyway, from what I can tell, the big stores don't have those lines (at least based on what I saw at General Mills in Zaporizhzhia and that Kroger over on Ottawa Street).

Morgan Brown4 said:Look, it just feels stupid to me to throw money away on DoorDash when I’ve got several shops within 400 meters of my building.
And tbh, it goes against how I was raised. I was taught that ordering delivery for something you can easily grab yourself is just lazy, and I bet a lot of other people feel the same way.

Longer. Feels like those lines have been there for a month.
The first time I saw one was right around the day of the earthquake (or so I think, maybe Miller was still open that day). Or maybe it was when I went out for bread and milk sometime after the quake.
Anyway, from what I can tell, the big stores don't have those lines (at least based on what I saw at General Mills in Zaporizhzhia and that Kroger over on Ottawa Street).

That Kroger on Main St usually has a line, and they let like 10 people in at a time with a security guard, but when I went last Friday around 11 AM there wasn't a line outside—you just walked right in. But man, it was chaos inside! There were probably 30 people hovering over the produce, and the same thing with the milk and bread areas, or where they slice the deli meats. I spent at least 15 minutes at the express lane because there were ten people ahead of me.

As for delivery? Good luck. I used to be able to order DoorDash from Kroger for the next day or even the day after, but now? No way you're snagging a slot. Even if they do open up times, it'll be a week out. I'm not gonna sit here camping by my computer refreshing the page constantly hoping to catch an earlier spot. Not happening.

When are the discos and nightclubs actually going to reopen? I see restaurants can stay open until 11 PM, but does that mean clubs aren't allowed to open at all?
Sorry if this is off-topic, just couldn't find the right spot to ask.

Ronald Sanchez14 said:When are the discos and nightclubs actually going to reopen? I see restaurants can stay open until 11 PM, but does that mean clubs aren't allowed to open at all?
Sorry if this is off-topic, just couldn't find the right spot to ask.

That’s not even on the roadmap, honestly. Plus, the rules for restaurants are so strict they're basically turning them into glorified snack stands.