Valley grocery store officials say they are limiting their hours amid coronavirus concerns.
Fry's Food Stores announced Saturday, they are temporarily adjusting their store hours starting March 15.
In a statement, the company said the move was in order to "better serve our customers and balance the needs of our associates."
Officials say effective Sunday, March 15, new store hours will be 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. 7 days a week.
The company says the change in hours will allow their store teams to focus on stocking food and essentials.
The company says, "We remain focused on doing all the things we need to do to keep our associates and customers safe and healthy. As we continue to monitor this rapidly evolving situation, we strive to make decisions that balance the safety of our associates with our commitments to our customers and communities."
Representatives for Safeway and Albertsons say they are opening an hour later and closing an hour earlier to allow employees to make sure stores are up to standard and shelves are stocked. Check your local store's website for specific store hours.
A representative for Bashas' says all stores are adjusting hours and will now be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Walmart also announced in a blog post that open hours at locations that are normally 24 hours will be reduced to 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
"To better support our associates and serve our customers, we will adjust our operating hours beginning Sunday, March 15. Walmart stores and Neighborhood Markets will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. until further notice. This will help ensure associates are able to stock the products our customers are looking for and to perform cleaning and sanitizing. Stores currently operating under more reduced hours (for example they regularly close at 10 p.m. or open at 7 a.m.) will keep their current hours of operation," the statement reads.
The Arizona Food Marketing Alliance tells ABC15, shoppers don't need to worry about widespread shortages.
"Fortunately, the food industry has big distribution centers, so they're able to restock the shelves with the products they have on hand quickly," said AFMA President Mark Miller.
ABC15 has reached out to several other grocery stores to see if they're changing hours or not. This story will be updated as more details become available.
