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Area Grocery Stores Allowing Seniors to Shop Early in the Morning and Encourages Ordering Groceries Online

By Nathan Ham

As residents continue to brace for any potential impact from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, several High Country grocery stores are offering early-morning shopping hours for senior citizens to get their shopping done and return home as soon as possible. Seniors are the most vulnerable age group when it comes to the COVID-19 virus.

At Publix, seniors can shop from 7-8 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Ingles and Lowes Foods are using the same hours and the same two days of the week. Harris Teeter is offering senior shopping hours from 6-7 a.m. on Monday and Thursday and Walmart is offering a senior shopping hour from 6-7 a.m. on Tuesday.

Grocery Stores are also using these uncertain times to promote their online shopping options to limit social distance and limit a shopper’s time in public.

At Lowes Foods, shoppers simply choose what they want online, select a pick up time and then place the order. Once the shopper arrives at Lowes, simply drive to the curbside Lowes Foods To Go pickup lane and a store attendance will load the groceries into the vehicle. There is a $4.95 fee for this service or you can join for an annual membership of $99 where all fees are waived.

Publix uses the Instacart service for its online shopping platform.

Harris Teeter offers its Express Lane online shopping on its website and through its mobile app for the same $4.95 fee and $99 annual subscription. Harris Teeter also offers a monthly fee of $16.95.

Walmart’s store pick up allows each shopper to select a location and a time slot to have their order picked up. The pick-up service requires a $30 minimum purchase.