Mobs packing Everett locations
By Josh Resnek
Costco will be closing at 6:30 pm everyday for the duration of this crisis in order to keep a handle on what company officials have called “panic buying” and “hoarding.”
This includes the Everett Costco warehouse which has been besieged by shoppers since the beginning of the emergency.
Management has instituted strict cleaning and sanitary operating procedures and standards in order to avert the spread of the virus by shoppers.
Employees have ben wearied by the panic shopping and the superhuman effort it takes to restock the 150,000 square foot shopping behemoth.
New Store Hours: Warehouse store hours will be cut on Monday, March 30 by 2 hours. That means that most stores will close at 6.30 p.m. instead of 8.30 p.m. It appears that the weekend hours will remain the same since they are top shopping times. As a result, the hours remain unchanged: on Saturday, from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Senior Shopping: Senior hours at most warehouses have been instituted on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. These exclusive hours are excellent shopping times for senior citizens who are most at risk during this scary period, since it allows people who are more vulnerable to the virus to shop in greater safety and comfort.
Many supermarkets, as well as Target Stores, have also instituted senior shopping hours early in the morning for the duration of the crisis.
Costco food courts are only available for take-out. There is no seating available. To maintain some crowd control, only members with ID’s can use the food courts. Costco is enforcing the CDC recommendations and asking members to keep at least a distance of 6 feet between each person while shopping in the warehouse.
At the Everett location long lines have spread around the huge facility daily.
Numbers of shoppers allowed inside have ben regulated in order to keep up with social distancing standards set in place by the government.
Stop and Shop has set up senior shopping hours as well.
Employees in that facility have instituted strict cleaning and health guidelines to avert the spread of the virus among shoppers, which is a real concern.
Toilet paper, sanitizers, bottled water, rice and disinfecting spray are in short supply at Costco and at Stop and Shop.
At Market Basket in Chelsea, where many Everett residents shop, most of the shelves are stocked and fresh foods remain abundant.
The social distancing policy is evident there where shoppers are standing in the checkout lines six feet apart from on another.