2 Quebec Grocery Stores Will Have Special Hours For Seniors So They Can Avoid Panic Buyers
- Following a national trend, Quebec grocery stores Maxi and Provigo will open a special hour for senior citizens.
- The special schedule will allow seniors to get their groceries in a calmer environment while minimizing their risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus.
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Though times are scary, businesses and individuals across Quebec are stepping up to serve and protect their communities. From gestures as simple as rainbow drawings to delivering food to quarantined neighbours, people across the province are making important demonstrations of solidarity. Now, two Quebec grocery stores are following suit, following a nationwide trend to offer special hours to senior residents.
Both the WHO and the government of Quebec have underlined elderly residents' vulnerability to the novel coronavirus.
But social distancing measures have even further reduced some seniors' mobility and ability to safely seek assistance.
The new hour dedicated to older customers at participating Provigo and Maxi locations could lower their risk of exposure to the virus during trips to the grocery store — one of only a few essential services still open in Quebec.
A press release from Loblaws, which owns both stores, implies that the special hour will allow seniors to avoid panic-buyers and get priority access to grocery items, highlighting the possibility for "a quieter, less crowded environment."
The senior hour will fall between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., Monday to Friday, starting March 24 and "applies to all Maxi stores."
Customers should contact their Provigo locations to verify it's participating in the special schedule.
For seniors "who still need to go to the grocery store, this time slot will be exclusively dedicated to them so that they can shop in a less crowded environment, thus promoting the application of social distancing measures," says Johanne Héroux, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications at Loblaws.
The company does ask, however, that "customers aged 70 and over to respect as much as possible the guidelines established by Quebec public health authorities, to stay at home and seek other alternatives, such as online grocery shopping, or to call on a friend or family member to do their grocery shopping."
Provigo and Maxi join at least a dozen other stores across Canada that have adopted similar schedules.
Get all the details below.
Special Hours For Seniors At Provigo & Maxi
Where: All Maxi locations and participating Provigo locations in Quebec
When: 7 a.m. – 8 a.m., Monday – Friday