Shop ‘n Save grocery stores in Greensburg, Murrysville and Latrobe will close earlier to allow staff to deal with the coronavirus-driven surge in business. They also will open earlier to give seniors and those with disabilities exclusive shopping time.
The new hours start Monday and apply to the Charley family stores on East Pittsburgh Street and Route 66 in Greensburg as well as William Penn Highway in Murrysville, said Tom Charley, co-owner of Charley Family Shop ‘n Save.
New hours will be 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. other days. The hour of 6 to 7 a.m. will be reserved for senior citizens and disabled shoppers.
“We’re trying to give the seniors a place where they can feel safe and comfortable shopping,” Charley said.
The stores are usually open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
A separately-owned store in Latrobe will start with new hours on Sunday — 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Saturday. The first hour — 7 to 8 a.m. — will be reserved for people 60 and older and anyone with a disability.
The Greensburg and Murrysville locations will be closing early to give staff more time to cope with the “unprecedented” wave of shoppers that has been stocking up on essentials because of the coronavirus pandemic, Charley said. The stores are seeing higher sales than they do before major holidays.
Though toilet paper and other staples are disappearing from shelves almost as soon as they are stocked, Charley assured that stores are still getting plenty from their suppliers.
“We’re still getting product every day,” he said. “Every time we order toilet paper, we’re getting it.”
The only items that the store is having trouble obtaining are hand sanitizer, Lysol wipes and rubbing alcohol.
Charley said the stores soon will begin looking for more staff to help deal with demand. “The stores aren’t going to look perfect because we don’t have the staff to deal with the amount of business we’re getting.”
Giant Eagle on Saturday announced all its stores were changing hours because of the pandemic. Begining this week, all Giant Eagle stores are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
